The public will be able to receive real-time information regarding the air quality in Romania, as the implementation of a new coding system is undergoing public consultation on the website of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMAP).
According to a MMAP release sent to AGERPRES on Friday, the initiative concerns a draft Order amending and supplementing the Order of the Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests no. 1818/02.10.2020 regarding the approval of air quality indices - the coding system used to inform the public about the air quality in Romania.
"Air quality is one of the most important indicators of public health. Updating this order is not just a technical measure, but an essential step to provide citizens with accurate, European-comparable and easy-to-understand information. A few weeks ago, while three districts in Bucharest were filled with smoke and it was difficult to breathe outdoors because of a fire in a warehouse, all official sensors showed green. Why? Because they currently measure the average pollutant levels over the past 24 hours - as established by technical standards set many years ago. Yet people check this data to find out what air they are actually breathing at that moment. Today, we have made the amendment to the Ministry of Environment's order transparent precisely so that in the future hourly averages will be used instead of 24-hour averages. Hourly data, based on methodologies harmonised across the European Union, allows us to react more quickly and effectively to protect public health," Environment, Waters and Forests Minister Diana Buzoianu mentioned.
With the proposed amendments, Romania fully aligns with European standards on public information and the real-time reporting of data to the European Commission and the EEA.
"The draft introduces public messages corresponding to each air quality index, which are numbered from 1 to 6. For example, for the general population, Index 1 stipulates the following message: 'Air quality is good. Enjoy your usual outdoor activities.' For Index 6, the message is 'Reduce outdoor physical activities.' Moreover, for sensitive groups, Index 1 reads 'Air quality is good. Enjoy your usual outdoor activities,' while Index 6 advises 'Avoid outdoor physical activities,'" the release mentioned.
The Ministry of Environment underscores that, once this normative act is adopted, it will be necessary to update the official platform to allow the live uploading of hourly pollutant data.
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