DENR: Air quality better but still bad

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said air quality in the Philippine was “getting better,” although air pollution remained a leading health concern in the country.

Paje said that while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has made some gains in reducing pollutants in the air, there was still much to improve.

“The air quality throughout the country is generally getting better, although there is still a lot of work to do to get the air we breathe to healthful standard,” Paje said.

“We shall proceed with resolve and optimism to bring the country’s air quality and public health care closer together,” he added.

He made the statements as he took note of reports stating that air pollution was one of three leading health concerns in the country.

The other two concerns are a rise in alcohol use and trauma from accidents.

According to him, the level of total suspended particulates (TSP) for 2011 dropped in the second quarter compared to the TSP level in 2010.

The TSP level during the second quarter of 2011 was at 125 micrograms per normal cubic meter (µg/Ncm), while in 2010, the TSP level was 166 µg/Ncm during the same period.

There was also a decrease in the TSP level during the first quarter of 2011, he added. This year, the TSP level was 131 µg/Ncm compared to 163 µg/Ncm in 2010.

Paje said among the measures intended to keep the air clean, especially in highly urbanized Metro Manila, is the breaking down of the Metro Manila airshed into three: the National Capital Region airshed, the Cavite-Laguna-Rizal airshed and the Bulacan-Pampanga-Bataan airshed.

Designating airsheds is a tool for local governments to bring down air pollution levels.

An airshed is managed by a board consisting of local officials and directors from the Department of Transportation and Communication, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Science and Technology and Department of Energy. Also included are representatives from the private sector and nongovernment organizations.

The board is expected to help the DENR check the air quality in the airsheds, to set up emission standards and to draw up penalties for polluters.

It is also tasked with developing an action plan for its airshed and issuing air quality status reports.

According to the DENR, towns or cities in an airshed share common weather conditions and sources of pollution, which affect the diffusion of pollution in the air.

The designation of airsheds is required under the Clean Air Act’s implementing rules and regulations. There are currently 20 airsheds in the country.