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MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Saturday that air pollution levels in Metro Manila fell “substantially” by an average of 59 percent on the first day of 2021 despite Philippine revelries by the pandemic.
In a statement, the DENR said that Metro Manila mayors’ support for a ban on firecrackers and limiting their use to community display was only one factor.
The department’s Environmental Management Office (EMB) recorded an average concentration of 87 micrograms per normal cubic meter (ug / Ncm) of particulate matter (PM 10) from midnight on December 31, 2020 to January 1, from 6 stations of air quality monitoring (AQMS) in Caloocan, Marikina, Navotas, Pasig, Parañaque and Taguig.
“Last year, the 6 AQMS averaged 213 ug / Ncm, which represents an average drop of 59 percent compared to New Year’s Eve (NYE) data on January 1, 2020,” read in the statement.
The steepest drop in air pollution levels was recorded in the following stations, according to the DENR.
- Naval St., Ciudad Navotas (99 percent) from 209 ug / Ncm in 2020 to 1.34 ug / Ncm in 2021
- Oranbo, Pasig City (95 percent) from 130 ug / Ncm in 2020 to 7 ug / Ncm in 2021
- Bicutan, Taguig City (78 percent) from 355 ug / Ncm in 2020 to 79 ug / Ncm in 2021
- Marikina Justice Hall Open Complex, Marikina City (34 percent) from 189 ug / Ncm in 2020 to 124 ug / Ncm in 2021
- Caloocan City Council Annex, City of Caloocan (29 percent) from 332 ug / Ncm in 2020 to 235 ug / Ncm in 2021
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The department emphasized that only the station at the Don Bosco barangay hall in the city of Parañaque registered an increase of 21 percent from 62 ug / Ncm in 2020 to 75 ug / Ncm in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Manila city station measured a high of 93.5 ug / Ncm around 1 a.m. on January 1 from a reading of 40.9 ug / Ncm at 11 p.m. on December 31, 2020, citing the EMB report.
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Lower concentrations of PM2.5
New Year’s Eve has “significantly lower” PM2.5 concentrations compared to 2020, the DENR said.
“Compared to PM10, PM2.5 pollutants are finer particles typically emitted by burning vehicles and plants,” the report reads.
He added that PM2.5 pollutants could get into a person’s lungs once inhaled, which could cause respiratory and circulatory diseases, brain damage and cancer.
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Air Quality, New Years, 2021, New Years Eve, New Years Celebration, Metro Manila Air Pollution, ANC, ANC Top, DENR, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Environmental Management
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