PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia's Ministry of Environment has released measures to prevent and reduce air pollution during the dry season after the air quality has declined.
The ministry said in a news release that every year from December to April, it routinely monitors air quality in the capital city of Phnom Penh and provinces across the country to detect PM10 and PM2.5 air particles.
"The results indicate an alarming decline in air quality, particularly due to an increase in inert particles floating in the air (PM10 and PM2.5), surpassing the standard and posing risks to human health and the environment," it said.
PM 10 and PM2.5 are produced by industrial factories, diesel-driven vehicles, forest fire, grass and agricultural waste burning, and rubbish and solid waste burning at construction sites, public areas and rubbish dumps, said the ministry.
The ministry urged local authorities in all 25 cities and provinces across the Southeast Asian country to take measures to help improve air quality by educating people not to burn trash, forest, grass, plastic waste, agricultural waste, solid waste, and other materials in open spaces.
According to experts, 70 percent of the air pollution came from vehicle fuels, 20 percent from dust at construction sites and 10 percent from other sources such as rubbish burning. - XInhua
