France Supports Effective Air Quality Monitoring and Reporting in Sri Lanka

This agreement regards a technical partnership with AIRPARIF, the organization responsible for monitoring air quality in the Paris region. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and National Building Research Organization (NBRO) were also present for the event.

 “With almost 50 years of experience in air quality monitoring and forecasting, information to citizens, assessment of health risks and environmental impacts, and policy advisory on mitigation measures, AIRPARIF is well positioned to share its technical expertise with Sri Lanka, that is increasingly experiencing the negative effects of air pollution in its cities” said H.É. Jean-François PACTET, the French Ambassador. 

Capitalizing on the French experience and expertise, the grant provided by AFD will facilitate the knowledge exchange with the Sri Lankan counterparts at the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and National Building Research Organization (NBRO). 

“With reliable information, and effective public communication on forecasts, the public can take appropriate preventative measures to protect themselves from pollution episodes (similar to that of weather forecasts). Likewise, reliable consistent data is critical in informing effective, data backed policies for air quality management, such as limiting vehicle movements during high pollution episodes, promoting non-motorized transport, transition to cleaner fuels, transition to new technologies (e-vehicles) etc.” stressed M. SOUIRGI from Agence Française de Développement. 

The main objectives of this project will be to:

• Reinforce the existing local capacities with the set-up a systematic monitoring and reporting of Air quality in Colombo metropolitan area;
• Improve maintenance of the existing monitoring network, improve data management;
• Establish a comprehensive census of pollution sources;
• Edentify critical polluted areas where special strategies are needed;
• Communicate to and raise awareness of the general public on air quality.

Over the long-term, the aim is to support Sri Lanka establish a centralized reporting mechanism for air quality monitoring, that can provide the basis for sound, effective data backed policy decisions. Each year, Sri Lanka suffers from seasonal air pollution events, generally imported from the Indian continent and exacerbated by its own pollution-generating activities. The most recent being in January 2023, when NBRO declared dangerous levels of air quality in several parts of the country. The Covid-19 travel restrictions and the most recent fuel crisis in 2022 gave city dwellers a rare opportunity to witness a high level of air quality. 

Air Quality is an important development indicator. Indeed, air pollution has high economic and social costs, bearing on the general well-being and standard of living of city inhabitants. It leads to higher cases of asthma, lung disease and various other respiratory ailments. This, in turn, creates an economic burden on the health sector and reduces the overall productivity of the general population. Worldwide, the economic cost of air pollution is estimated $2.9 trillion per year (3.3 % of world’s GDP), while it is linked to 4.5 million premature deaths annually. 

Air pollution is, however, not a new topic for Sri Lanka. Various indicators such as PM10, NOx, SOx, ozone and CO have been monitored for more than twenty years. Two new monitoring stations, managed by the CEA, were installed in 2019 at Battaramulla near Colombo and in Kandy. Meanwhile, monthly concentrations of NO2 and SO2 have been measured in 25 different places in and around Colombo, using passive sampling techniques by the NBRO. 

The country is still lacking consolidated data and facing discrepancies among different sources, preventing accurate reporting and information dissemination. Despite the existence of data sources, finding the Air Quality Index for Colombo remains particularly difficult, and the most frequently cited data are generally from unreliable sources. As such, accurate air monitoring and reporting is a critical first step to mitigate the negative impacts of air-pollution, inform better policymaking and improve the overall air quality of the city. 

Contact: Arabella Seebaluck