DENR: Metro Manila air quality ‘acceptable’

MANILA, Philippines — The air quality in Metro Manila remains within the standard despite the increase in the volume of vehicles amid the holiday rush, a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) official said yesterday.

In a chance interview during the launch of the Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project in Quezon City, DENR Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) officer-in-charge Gilbert Gonzales said the smog that enveloped the National Capital Region (NCR) on Sept. 22 was an isolated case.

“So far, based on our monitoring, it’s within the standard, it’s acceptable. The incident was an isolated case,” Gonzales said.

The DENR blamed the volume of vehicles in the streets for the NCR smog.

The DENR set normal air quality at 35 micrograms of particulates per normal cubic meter, but it reached 128 to 141 µg/Ncm in some areas on Sept. 22.

The DENR classifies air quality of 101 to 150 µg/Ncm as unhealthy, advising that people with respiratory conditions such as asthma should limit outdoor exposure.

An air quality of 151 to 200 µg/Ncm is considered very unhealthy, with the DENR telling pedestrians to avoid heavy traffic areas.

The DENR said an air quality of 201 to 300 µg/Ncm is acutely unhealthy, with pedestrians advised to limit outdoor exposure.

Gonzales said that the DENR continues to operate functional air monitoring stations, of which he said at least five need repair.

He said the DENR-EMB has been pushing for an additional budget of P300 million for the upgrade of 118 air monitoring stations in the country.