Egypt Launches New Initiative Aims to Track Ultrafine Pollutants

Egypt's Minister of Local Development and Environment, Manal Awad, announced the installation and operation of cutting-edge equipment to monitor air pollutants and greenhouse gases at 12 environmental monitoring stations across Cairo. 

According to a statement by the Ministry of Local Development and Environment, this initiative is the first of its kind in Egypt and the region, specifically aimed at monitoring short-lived climate pollutants and ultrafine particles, thereby enhancing the state's efforts to improve air quality and combat climate change.

"The initiative is part of the Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate Change Project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Local Development and Environment, with funding from the World Bank. This project involves collaboration with various international and local consulting firms and experts specializing in air quality and climate change," the statement read.

Awad noted that the advanced monitoring and measurement equipment has already arrived in Egypt and is currently being installed throughout the environmental monitoring network, stretching from northern Cairo near the Delta region to Helwan in the south. 

Furthermore, she mentioned that the project includes upgrading the air particulate monitoring systems to more advanced, precise equipment. 

Awad emphasized that incorporating measurements for black carbon, greenhouse gases, and ultrafine particles represents a pioneering step in the Arab region and the Middle East.