Bucharest City Hall, together with the Center for Sustainable Policies Ecopolis, started installing a new network of sensors to monitor the air quality in the capital city. Under this project, a total of 44 such sensors will be placed at hospitals and educational institutions.

The first 24 sensors have already been installed, the institution said. The remaining 20 will be gradually installed in the next two weeks and will be connected to the online platform dedicated to this project so that the data provided can be consulted in real-time by citizens on the City Hall's website and Aerlive.ro.

"The purpose of these sensors, which will measure particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), is to better identify the sources of pollution and to contribute to the analysis of the effects of pollution on citizens' health, so that the City Hall of Bucharest can establish the most effective measures to reduce the concentrations of pollutants in the air," reads the press release.

The initiative is supported by the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a prestigious global network made up of 70 cities around the world, which aims to save lives by preventing noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, heart and respiratory diseases. The network is backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization and the global health organization Vital Strategies.

Bucharest is one of the most polluted cities in Europe. In 2021, for example, the Romanian capital ranked 263rd among 323 European cities included in the European city air quality viewer launched by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Primaria Municipiului Bucuresti)