DHAKA: The Department of Environment (DoE) is going to adopt a modern technology to monitor and forecast about air quality when heavy air pollution is a major problem, particularly for the city-dwellers who can scarcely breathe fresh air.

Under the donor-aided arrangement, DoE will use new software AirQuis for statistical evaluations and numerical modeling of collected data that will enable the department to forecast about air quality.

Officials of the department disclosed the plan at a training seminar here Tuesday.

DoE will also set up six new analyzer stations, including two in Dhaka, by October under ‘Clean Air and Sustainable Environment Project (CASE)’ scheme funded by Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

M Nasiruddin, project director of CASE, also joint secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, told banglaNews24.com.bd that after adopting the software, AirQuis, they would be able to tell people how air quality is polluted.

“Under the project, air quality of the entire country can be monitored and we’ll also be able to forecast about next day’s air quality on the day before,” he added.

The department of environment will get the AirQuis software from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) under this project. NORAD will provide $1.2 million for the three-year project.
 
As part of the project DoE and NORAD organised this training seminar titled `air quality monitoring and management’ at a city hotel.

Director General of DoE Monwar Islam, Norwegian Ambassador in Dhaka Ingebjorg Stoefring and M Nasiruddin spoke at the inaugural ceremony of the seminar.
 
Monwar Islam said under the CASE project, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Sylhet and Barisal will be brought under the air quality-monitoring mechanism.

He said old and worn-out diesel-run vehicles, brick kilns, steel and re-rolling mills and many other small points are the main sources of air pollution in Dhaka.

BDST: 2000 HRS. AUG 03, 2010