The first real-time air quality monitoring station in the Republic of Moldova was launched today in Chisinau. The station will register pollution influenced mainly by vehicle exhaust emissions with included software, gas analyzers and consumables. The data provided based on monitoring will help take decisions as to what central and local policies need to be developed for improving the quality of air, IPN reports.

According to Minister of Environment Iuliana Cantaragiu, 18 real-time monitoring stations are required according to the necessities. “This is a step forward for the Republic of Moldova in its development and meeting of the EU standards on atmospheric air protection. The station measures five indicators on a permanent basis and these series of data show how the indicators change during the day, depending on the traffic existing in the city, and how they decrease at night, when traffic is less heavy,” explained the minister.

Germany’s Ambassador to Moldova Ullrich Kinne said that as a party to the Association Agreement with the EU, the Republic of Moldova undertook to tranpose a series of EU directives to the national legislation. These include the European Parliament’s directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. Consequently, Moldova should ensure extensive air quality monitoring and should make effort to achieve a level under the EU highest values.

“To reduce air pollution, first of all in cities, measures are needed primarily in the transport sector. This is also relevant for the Republic of Moldova where the quality exceeds the mandatory limits of the European Union. The adoption of the law on ambient air shows the Moldovan Government’s readiness to promote a better environment and legislation close to the EU’s,” stated the diplomat.

The launch of the automatic air quality monitoring station is the first action taken by the Republic of Moldova together with the adoption of the law on the quality of atmospheric air.