The Malta Environment & Planning Authority recently commissioned two new air-monitoring stations.

The stations were placed at 5 October Square, Msida, opposite the parish church and at San Girgor Garden, Zejtun, on the outskirts of the village. The stations were placed in these localities with the active participation and complete cooperation of their mayors and the local councils. Indeed the Authority feels it should personally thank the mayors of the two localities for the interest they have shown and the support they gave to the projects.

The two stations were co-financed by the European Union and MEPA to the value of e500,000. This means that MEPA now has four air monitoring stations stationed in different parts of Malta. Another one will be placed in Gozo later this year.

The project “Acquisition of Air Monitoring equipment to comply with EU requirements” is financed from European Regional Development Fund. This is one of EU Structural Funds aimed at promoting cohesion and reducing disparities among EU regions.

The project involved the purchase by MEPA of two air-monitoring stations that will help Malta comply with the EU Acquis requirements in the field of air monitoring. The air-monitoring stations are essential to enable the function of the national air-monitoring programme, which at present consists of two stations.

Once operational, the stations will be monitoring air for a range of pollutants that are potentially harmful to human health. Data generated from the stations will be used to develop plans and programmes to reduce air pollution.

Following an international open tendering procedure, the contract for the supply of equipment was awarded to the French company Environment SA, which specialises in the supply of air-monitoring instrumentation.