Ctg air quality monitoring station by next year

The Continuous Air Monitoring Station (CAMS) will regularly assess the quality of air to help improve public health.

The Department of Environment (DoE) has undertaken the project to be implemented at an estimated cost of Tk 1.40 crore.

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The CAMS in the port city is one of nine such centers to be set up in cities under a five million US dollar World Bank-financed scheme.

Officials of the Air Quality Management Project (AQMP) and the WB disclosed this at a meeting on the project in the conference room of the local circuit house Monday morning. High officials of government departments and representatives from different private organizations joined the meeting.

With Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Mofizul Islam in the chair, it was addressed by Chittagong Divisional Commissioner, Mohammad Ashraful Makbul as the chief guest.

Environmental specialist of WB Dhaka, Samir Akbar, WB consultant Dr M Khaliquzzaman and project director of AQMP Dr Mohammad Nasiruddin took part in the discussion.

Dr Nasiruddin said the CAMS in Chittagong to be set up at Bangladesh Television centre at Pahartali. Tenders for construction of building and procurement of necessary equipment have already been floated, he added.

Like in Dhaka, he said, day-to-day air quality index of the city will be published and broadcast for public through media after the station starts functioning.

He said premature death, average healthcare cost of Dhaka city dwellers have already been reduced significantly as the presence of certain particles in the air have declined by 10 per cent after implementation of various government programmes for improving the air quality.