ALGIERS-A partnership project to monitor air quality was signed on Wednesday in Algiers between the National Observatory for the Environment and Sustainable Development (ONEDD) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The document was signed by ONEDD Director General Karim Arab and KOICA-Algeria Office Director Jang Bonghee, in the presence of the Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy, Fazia Dahleb, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Algeria, You Ki-Jun, ministry officials and representatives of the relevant ministerial sectors.
In a speech delivered at the signing ceremony, which took place at the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy, Dahleb emphasized the importance of this project, which will enable the network of air quality monitoring stations to be relaunched, recalling that the network created five years ago, called "Samasafia" (Pure Sky), was at a standstill for technical reasons.
According to information provided by the minister, under the terms of this partnership, an air quality measurement network will be set up in Algiers, pending its subsequent extension to other provinces in the country.
Four (4) stations will be set up at each of the regional laboratories of the National Observatory for Environment and Sustainable Development (ONEDD), El Hamma Library, Mustapha Pacha Hospital University and Lamine Debaghine" (ex-Maillot) Hospital University in Bab El-Oued.
The network will enable air quality in Algiers to be monitored, the source of emissions to be determined and pollution levels to be measured, to inform residents, sectors and all relevant authorities, so appropriate measures can be taken.
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The project will be carried out with the help of international funding to the tune of US$5.5 million earmarked for the acquisition of high-tech equipment and the creation of a data storage platform," asserted the Minister, announcing the launch of the project "as soon as possible."
Dahleb also indicated that her department was working in coordination with all the sectors and institutions concerned to draw up a law on air quality, as "a necessity" for managing and monitoring air quality in the country. In this respect, she affirmed that work was underway to finalize the draft study to submit it to the Government by the end of 2024.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Naceur Boucherit, Director General for Asia-Oceania at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, spoke of the level of cooperation between Algeria and South Korea in the field of environmental protection, praising the skills, technology and know-how of the Koreans.
In a statement to the press on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Kamel Sanhadji, Chairman of the National Health Security Agency, said that completing this project, which will help improve air quality, will play a role in reducing disease.
For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to Algeria, You Ki-Jun, stressed the importance of international cooperation in various environmental fields, through the exchange of expertise, which has become a "key" element in meeting international commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
