‘No Reason For Alarm’ Over Air Quality In Malta, Environment And Resources Association Says
The Environment and Resources Authorities in Malta confirmed that they were not made aware of the air quality of Attard being at alarming rates.
Lovin Malta was told that the data from Attard did show elavated levels on the morning of the 20th February 2019, which could be related to the traffic peak. That morning, the maximum hourly average of nitrogen dioxide was 85µg/m3 at 09:00 hrs, which is far lower than the hourly limit value established in the EU Directive (which is 200µg/m3).
“We are checking on the matter by having a closer look at the data,” the ERA also commented. However, they also wanted to clarify that they “never had any air quality problems in Attard.”
In general, local data shows that traffic is the main source of air pollution. ERA also informed us that air pollution in Malta can reach higher levels in localities prone to heavy traffic flows, during Saharan dust events or during ozone events in spring and summer.
In relation to the Malta-Gozo tunnel, the ERA said this is subject to an air quality impact study, similar to other infrastructural projects of a significant scale.