ADB hosts gathering of air quality experts

Experts on air quality management from over 35 countries convened recently for the Better Air Quality Conference to share experiences on management of urban air quality and discuss ways to improve air quality in Asian cities.

The gathering which was co-hosted by Asian Development Bank’s Clean Air Initiatives for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) and participated on by 11 countries, including the Philippines, laid down specific commitments to improve air quality management in their respective countires. These countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India.

They committed to face head on the challenges of reducing air pollution in the region, as air pollutants are trans-boundary in nature.

The Philippine delegation was composed of representatives from national government agencies, particularly those implementing the Clean Air Act and the partnership for Clean Air, with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as lead implementing agency. The group drafted specific action plans relevant to improving Philippine air quality, directly complementing the key government air quality management (AQM) programs and provisions of the Clean Air Act.

Among those included in the country’s key action plans are: Periodic review of the Air Quality Action Plan, consistent air quality monitoring, reduce air pollution from mobile sources, improve fuel quality, and expand campaign to include area sources (such as burning of garbage, smoking) and indoor air pollution. The implementation of such action plans will be reported by country in the next Better Air Quality Conference in 2006. – Benny Enriquez