Audit: Transport and Industry Main Source of Air Pollution in Georgia
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, March 18
The Supreme Audit Agencies of 15 European countries prepared a joint report on atmospheric air quality, which also mentions the air pollution situation in Georgia.
According to the study, which ended in 2018, transport and industrial fields have the largest impact of air pollution in Georgia.
Among countries that do not have the obligation to cooperate with the European Agency of Environment, the PM10 and PM2.5 (solid particles that meet the construction and fuel combustion in the air and have a critical impact on human health) rate are one of the highest in Georgia.
Average annual content of the PM10 particles in the air was 20.5 units for Moldova’s capital Chisinau while in Georgia, in particular in Tbilisi, by 2016, it was 40 units. The highest rate was observed in Tel Aviv - 45.5 units.
Among the countries that have the obligation to cooperate with the European Agency for Environment, Estonia has recorded the lowest rate of these particles - 16.8 units in Tallinn, while the highest rate was observed in the city of Tetovo, Macedonia, 97.3 units.
In this regard, Georgia's indicator is at the top level of the EU standards and twice above the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
According to the European Union recommendations, the PM10 particle annual content should not exceed 40 units in the air while the World Health Organization imposes a more tight limitation, according to which the amount of the particles should not exceed 20 units.
However, Georgia exceeds Moldova and Israel in the context of PM2.5 particles (released in the air by fuel combustion). In particular, 21.5 units are indicated in the annual concentration of these pollutants in Tbilisi while in Chisinau it does not exceed 15.3 units. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the indicators are 16.5 and 20.6 units respectively.
As for the EU standards, they say the PM2.5 particle content should not exceed 25 units per year, while the World Health Organization limit is 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
The study also gives recommendations to the countries in terms of air pollution. The recommendations to Georgia read that the air monitoring process should be improved.
Also, the report calls on Georgia to locate air monitoring stations at adequate places where they will be taken care and repaired on time.
The document also calls for the creation of the centralized data collection and processing system in the country.
The authors of the document think that the state control system and mechanisms for compulsory inspection of the vehicles are relatively weak in Georgia and require further strengthening.
Also, the audit believes that more coordination and supervision are required with the Ministry of Environmental Protection to ensure the efficiency of actions to improve air quality in the country.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia has released the explanation on this report. The ministry states that the joint audit report on air quality is based on the research of 2017 and most of the recommendations presented in the report have already been fulfilled.
