Japanese grant to enable Armenia to modernize air quality monitoring  stations 

ArmInfo.On December 25, at a regular session, the Armenian government approved the draft decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia "On Approving the Grant Agreement on Economic and Social Development in the Form of an Exchange of Letters between the Republic of Armenia and Japan."

In late September, it was reported that RA Minister of Environment  Hambardzum Matevosyan and Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of  Armenia Aoki Yutaka signed an agreement on "Economic and Social  Development" to provide Armenia with a $1.7 million grant.

As stated in the explanatory note to the current decision, the air  pollution monitoring system in the Republic of Armenia currently does  not meet modern requirements in terms of either the technologies used  or the parameters monitored.

In the Republic of Armenia, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring  Center (HMMC) is the only organization implementing state monitoring  of atmospheric air quality. HMMC currently monitors air pollution in  the Republic of Armenia through a hybrid observation network. It  consists of 16 main stationary and 229 mobile (passive) sampling  points. Atmospheric air monitoring is conducted in the cities of  Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Alaverdi, Hrazdan, Ararat, Charentsavan,  Kapan, Kajaran, and Tsaghkadzor, as well as in Amberd (the regional  transboundary air pollution assessment station). The average daily  content of pollutants in the air is monitored: sulfur dioxide,  nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone (only in Yerevan), and dust.  Atmospheric precipitation is also monitored at the observation  stations in Tsaghkadzor and Amberd.

As part of the 2024 modernization program, two reference air quality  monitoring stations were purchased with state funding. These stations  will accurately measure key pollutants (including dust particles:  PM2.5 and PM10, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide,  and ground-level ozone).

Development of the air quality monitoring system is planned to  continue under a grant from the Japanese government. If approved,  this grant will allow for the modernization of three observation  stations in the air quality monitoring network, equipped with modern  equipment (Japanese brand Horiba) for the automatic measurement of  pollutants in the air.

The Japanese grant will provide equipment for the automatic  monitoring of key air pollutants-sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides,  carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, and suspended particles (PM10  and PM2.5)-to be installed in three administrative districts of  Yerevan. This will allow for more comprehensive air pollution data,  which will also be available to the public in real time. Overall, the  approval of the grant agreement for "Economic and Social Development"  in the form of an exchange of letters between the Republic of Armenia  and Japan will enable the Republic of Armenia to modernize the air  quality monitoring system in the Republic of Armenia, develop data  quality control, build capacity, and provide support in addressing  environmental issues in the Republic of Armenia.