New station to improve air quality monitoring in Tbilisi

A new automatic station has been added to the network of air quality monitoring infrastructure of the National Environment Agency in capital Tbilisi as part of the latest additions for improving monitoring of particles in the air of the city.

Georgia’s Environmental Protection Ministry on Thursday said the station had been installed as part of the Save Nature – Georgia project implemented by the body and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

It also said data received from the latest ambient air quality monitoring station would allow the body to “plan new events and projects” to contribute to further improvement of air quality in the country, and added eight automatic and one mobile station would be added to the Agency’s network this year.

Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, said improving air quality was “one of the priority directions” of the body.

The project Save Nature – Georgia is progressing, and with the support of the European Union, the entire country will be covered by monitoring stations next year”, he said.

Erik Illes, the Head of Development Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Sweden in Georgia, welcomed the Georgian Government’s contribution to improving the country’s air quality monitoring system.

The official said the Swedish Government would “continue to assist Georgia to have an appropriate monitoring system”.