Report on Air Quality in Albania, year

Transcription

1 1 Report on Air Quality in Albania, year Agron Deliu Institute of Public Health, Tirana Tirana air in a typical sunny morning (Source: IES) Vilnius, October 17-18,2005

2 2 1. Air Emissions in general Up to 1989 year industry had been the main air pollutant of the country. With the fall of the old system, place of industry in air emissions was taken from traffic, as seen from the table and graph 1. Table 1. Emissions of the main air pollutants in Albania, period (Thousand tons) Year Particles SO NOx CO HC TOTAL Source: Air Pollution in Albania, Institute of Environmental Studies (IES), Agron Deliu, Dr. Qeramedin Kodra, Majlinda Ndroqi -Tirana, Thousand tons 400 Particles SO2 NOx CO HC Total Traffic Year Rapid increase of vehicle fleet in Albania is a very clear tendency, and it seems that will continue in the future (graph 2). Old age of the fleet, its structure (over 85 percent diesel motors) and insufficiently controlled fuel quality, are main factors influencing in air pollution situation.

3 3 Graph 2. Rapid increase of vehicle fleet in Albania, after 1990 year Cars Lorries Buses Other Total Source: Ministry of Environment (MoE), Tirana 2004 Table 3. Total air emissions from vehicles in Albania, in thousand tons Year Particles SO NOx CO HC TOTAL Source: Institute of Environmental Studies (IES), Tirana 2003 Table 4. Air emissions from vehicles/capita in Albania, in kg Year Particles SO NOx CO HC TOTAL Source: Institute of Environmental Studies (IES), Tirana 2005 Other relevant data Country approx. population, mln inhabitants Year Year Year Year Kind of fuel used: 83% diesel, 17% gasoline (year 2002) Average age of vehicle fleet (year 2002): 90% > 9 years, 6% < 4 years, 4% < 2 years. Source: Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), Tirana 2003 Institute of Transport (IT), Tirana 2004

4 4 2. PM 10 content in urban air It is estimated from air quality monitoring of last 4-5 years that actually over percent of urban population in main cities of the country are exposed to much higher concentrations of PM 10 in the air than Albanian limit values (2003 year) and WHO guideline values (1987 year) (table and graph.5). We consider that PM 10 is actually the main and most dangerous air pollutant in urban atmospheres of Albanian cities. We evaluate that it is created in a considerable degree from vehicle air emissions which are especially characteristic for old aged diesel engines. Road dust is also present, due to poor maintenace of city roads. No specific studies for clarifying respective shares of each contributor are carried on yet. NO 2, O 3 and Pb are in constant increase, tending to reach after few years limit values for urban atmospheres, although vehicle fleet number is much inferior/capita in comparison with respective European numbers. Table 5. PM 10 content in the air of main Albanian cities (in µg m -3 ), period PM PM PM PM Tirana Tirana Tirana Tirana Tirana Durresi Elbasani Elbasani Fieri Korça Shkodra Vlora WHO (1987year) Alb.stand PM PM PM PM Tirana 1 Tirana 2 Tirana 3 Tirana 4 Tirana 5 Durresi Elbasani 1 Elbasani 2 Fieri Korça Shkodra Vlora WHO Alb.stand.

5 5 3. Policies and institutions relevant to air quality In our context of air quality monitoring indicators, Policy response is linked to a number of policy measures that have been taken in the last years for the protection of air, including: Law N 8934, date 5 September 2002, on Environmental Protection (general) Law N 8897, date 16 May 2002, on protection of air from pollution Law N 8025, dated On Protection against Ionizing Radiation Governmental Decision N 103 dated on Environmental Monitoring in the Republic of Albania Governmental Decision N 435 dated on Endorsement of norms for emissions in the air Governmental Decision N 803 dated on Norms for the air quality Governmental Decision N 248 dated on Approval of temporary norms for emissions in the air Instruction of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (December 2004) on Allowed norms of emissions in air from mobile sources. Air quality monitoring is a regular annual exercise run by the Ministry of Environment (at least since 2000), but air quality data exist from the past as well. Quality of monitoring is deficient compared to technical standards in countries of EU, in terms of equipment and time and space coverage. Air quality protection legislation is at the beginning of a long process striving to approximate environmental legislation of the country to that of EU. Much more important than compilation and approximation of respective laws and decisions is their real implementation. In this respect, proper financing and technical knowledge is lacking. Our opinion is that relevance of air quality is quite low in everyday agenda of Albanian politics, although some cities are dangerously polluted from PM. We can affirm that in 11 district control points of vehicles in use throughout Albania a regular yearly monitoring is carried on (measurement of concentrations of main air pollutants in vehicle discharges), beginning from January This is a new procedure in the country. Emission concentration standards exist for main air discharges (CO, NOx, smoke opacity and HC), and vehicles are legally bound to respect them. These limits are decided jointly from Ministry of Transports and Ministry of Environment, taking in consideration age of vehicles and their types. Limits are similar with those of EU contries c.a. ten years ago. Intermittent update of the limits is advisable, with distant goal limits of EU countries after 8-10 years (so it is approx. year ).. On year 2004, too, a legal ban is established on imported vehicle fuel, containing lead. Regular analytical control of lead content at the entrance points of imported goods is at the very beginning. In order to begin to attain a closer position to respective EU requirements, initially at least 5-6 automatic air monitoring stations are to be secured and mounted in the main cities. These kind of stations do not exist till now in Albania, and they give in principle detailed hourly and daily data on the concentration of main urban air pollutants such as PM (PM 10 and PM 2.5), CO, SO 2, NOx, O 3 and lead. They have to be added to the existing manual sampling points (13 points in 2005 year). For a longer perspective an overall of at least 12 automatic stations are needed, but the problem of still existing electric energy cut-outs makes us to suggest 5-6 automatic stations as a beginning.

6 6 4. Conclusions Urban air quality is problematic now in Albania. Some cities are dangerously polluted from PM 10. Fast increase of vehicle fleet is a main contributor to it. Air quality protection legislation in Albania is at the beginning of a long process striving to approximate environmental legislation of the country to respective legislation of EU. Adequate financing and technical knowledge are still missing for proper monitoring of urban air quality. Report on Air Quality Indicators in Albania, IES Tirana, August 2005