Government aims at real time air quality monitoring

While visiting a new air quality monitoring system at the MCAST Institute of Applied Science, environment minister Leo Brincat praised the initiative and said that the government's objective was to have real time monitoring.  

Brincat said that such initiatives and innovations in the clean technology field within the education sector "can only lead to higher air quality standards. Such processes ensure better and continuous gauging of air quality in various locations."

The new air quality monitoring system will be mostly used by students following environmental sciences courses to acquire hands-on experience in air monitoring techniques and will allow the Institute to assess air quality at the MCAST Campus.

Brincat noted that a medium term objective should be to have air quality monitoring systems working in real time to give the general public wider access to such highly relevant data.

While praising the initiative and commitment shown by the Institute that falls under the Ministry for Education and Employment, Brincat also thanked MCAST for having reached agreement in principle with the Environment Ministry to introduce at the earliest possible a tree pruning course.

He said that apart from enhancing the preservation of trees, such training will also lead to better air quality standards in our towns and villages, since trees improve air quality and the quality of life.