Zambo’s air is clean—DENR
Zamboanga City continues to enjoy pollution free air.
This after an analysis on the Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) in the air was conducted by the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Office for the 4th Quarter of 2009.
In a report submitted to Mayor Celso Lobregat, EMB-DENR Regional Director Alan de Gala revealed air quality in the city is still well within the 230 microgram per normal cubic meter standard set by the agency.
To monitor air quality, DENR has set up three air quality monitoring stations to measure concentration of air particulates in traffic-prone areas in the city. Twenty-four hours of continuous collection of air samples is conducted once every 6th day at each station, the results of which are averaged quarterly and compared to the national standard.
The three stations are distributed in various locations in the city. One is situated inside the Zamboanga City Medical Center compound, one in Barangay Sto. Niño and another at the Philippine International Development (PHIDCO) Company site in Baliwasan.
Air samples collected from the three stations for the last quarter of 2009 yielded an average of 175 microgram per normal cubic meter (µg/NCum), 146 µg/NCum and 191 µg/NCum, respectively, all below the DENR standard. (Claudine Uniana/ City Hall PIO)