Japanese grant to enable Armenia to modernize air quality monitoring stations
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In late September, it was reported that RA Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan and Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia Aoki Yutaka signed an agreement on "Economic and Social Development" to provide Armenia with a $1.7 million grant.
As stated in the explanatory note to the current decision, the air pollution monitoring system in the Republic of Armenia currently does not meet modern requirements in terms of either the technologies used or the parameters monitored.
In the Republic of Armenia, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center (HMMC) is the only organization implementing state monitoring of atmospheric air quality. HMMC currently monitors air pollution in the Republic of Armenia through a hybrid observation network. It consists of 16 main stationary and 229 mobile (passive) sampling points. Atmospheric air monitoring is conducted in the cities of Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Alaverdi, Hrazdan, Ararat, Charentsavan, Kapan, Kajaran, and Tsaghkadzor, as well as in Amberd (the regional transboundary air pollution assessment station). The average daily content of pollutants in the air is monitored: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone (only in Yerevan), and dust. Atmospheric precipitation is also monitored at the observation stations in Tsaghkadzor and Amberd.
As part of the 2024 modernization program, two reference air quality monitoring stations were purchased with state funding. These stations will accurately measure key pollutants (including dust particles: PM2.5 and PM10, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ground-level ozone).
Development of the air quality monitoring system is planned to continue under a grant from the Japanese government. If approved, this grant will allow for the modernization of three observation stations in the air quality monitoring network, equipped with modern equipment (Japanese brand Horiba) for the automatic measurement of pollutants in the air.
The Japanese grant will provide equipment for the automatic monitoring of key air pollutants-sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, and suspended particles (PM10 and PM2.5)-to be installed in three administrative districts of Yerevan. This will allow for more comprehensive air pollution data, which will also be available to the public in real time. Overall, the approval of the grant agreement for "Economic and Social Development" in the form of an exchange of letters between the Republic of Armenia and Japan will enable the Republic of Armenia to modernize the air quality monitoring system in the Republic of Armenia, develop data quality control, build capacity, and provide support in addressing environmental issues in the Republic of Armenia.