Gov’t to step up monitoring of air pollution levels

AMMAN — Plans are in place to set up new stations to monitor air pollution in industrial areas, officials at the Ministry of Environment said on Tuesday. 

The ministry will also enhance the performance of the 14 stations currently set up in Amman, Irbid and Zarqa, which are electronically linked to the ministry to test air pollution levels, Environment Minister Yaseen Khayyat said in a statement. 

He added that the ministry plans to cooperate with the Royal Scientific Society to increase the number of fixed and mobile air quality monitoring stations.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Isa Shboul, told The Jordan Times that the new stations will be installed in Amman, Irbid and Zarqa in 2017, highlighting that they will be located in industrial areas to monitor the concentration of gases and emissions.

The ministry launched the air quality monitoring system in 2014 to provide instant readings of air pollutant concentrations. Stations for monitoring air quality were set up in heavily congested and industrial areas in the Kingdom to measure and identify pollution levels and sources.

The stations were established in densely populated areas with heavy traffic congestion and industrial activities, according to the ministry.

The JD2 million project was co-funded by the ministry and the French Development Agency.

In the ministry’s statement, Khayyat also announced plans to provide more support to the inspection directorate with additional staff and technical equipment, highlighting that the ministry will intensify its supervision and control over industries to make sure they remain committed to health and environmental regulations.