The Ministry of Environment said it plans on acquiring 15 particulate monitors, which can measure air particulates with 10 and 2.5 micrometres in diameter (PM10 and PM2.5), for installation in the provinces.
Meanwhile, Ministry secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra said on Monday that the air quality in the capital and provinces had returned to normal.
His remarks were made at a press conference held by the Royal Government Spokespersons Unit at the Council of Ministers.
“Last week, our Kingdom encountered a problem – air quality in the country dropped due to an increase in PM2.5 concentration levels. But in one week, we saw the quality improve and return to normal,” he said.
He called on the public not to be too concerned about the air quality issue as the ministry has been keeping a close watch on the situation and will promptly inform them of any development.
The ministry’s environmental protection director Heng Nareth said the primary air pollutants were the rising plumes of smoke from factories, diesel-powered vehicles, forest fires and the burning of rice stubble and solid waste.
He said air pollutants fall under different categories including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
He also noted that the ministry is properly equipped with tools and devices needed to monitor air quality in the Kingdom – a monitoring programme that has been observed since 1998.
“Over the years, we have continued installing these monitoring devices to ensure public health and safety. We are planning on buying another 15 monitors which could measure PM2.5 and PM10 simultaneously and install them in the provinces.
“We can now receive the data we need from provinces via the internet, allowing us to stay updated with the air quality at all times,” he said.
