Experts push for better air quality monitoring vs. Metro Manila’s air pollution crisis

A new coalition composed of technology and academic institutions is pushing for real-time air quality monitoring to get a bigger and better picture of the pollution crisis that has been fogging Metro Manila for decades. 

Called Breathe Metro Manila, the coalition is also advocating for collaborative efforts and data-driven solutions to reduce the health risks linked to pollution. 

Manila Observatory’s Air Quality Dynamics Laboratory head James Bernard Simpas said that to manage air quality in the capital region, it’s important to have relevant measurements. 

“In order to understand air quality, in order to manage it, you have to measure it," said Simpas in a media roundtable discussion on Wednesday, adding "you cannot manage what you cannot measure,”  

Saying Manila Observatory already does monitoring and modelling for air quality monitoring, Simpas said “We need to understand where our pollution comes from so that we know what we can control."

Noting that road traffic is the top cause for air pollution in both dry and wet seasons, based on Manila Observatory’s data, Simpas said "We cannot control everything."

Based on Manila Observatory’s data in 2023, concentrations of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 have decreased due to policy interventions in prior years including the implementation of stricter emission standards for motor vehicles. 

But Simpas said concentrations of PM 2.5 are still above the threshold by the World Health Organization. 

“The good news I guess is that it is decreasing. And we associate that with policies on fuel emissions. But the bad news is it's still way above the WHO standards,” he said. 

In an earlier interview, Gerry Bagtasa of UPD College of Science's Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology estimated that around 70% of air pollution in Metro Manila comes from cars.

Mortality 

Meanwhile, Annelle Chua of Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health’s Center for Research and Innovation pointed out that long term exposure to air pollution poses a threat to the public’s health. 

“When that accumulates, well, we can see that it can cause, for example, respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis. It can even increase your chance of getting pneumonia, COPD. Cardiovascular-wise, it can increase your risk for heart attacks,” she said. 

Citing the State of Global Air 2024 report, Chua said that air pollution is responsible for 8.1 million deaths worldwide in 2021, just next to high blood pressure. 

According to the United Nations Environment Program meanwhile, “Air pollution is a major global health crisis and causes one in nine deaths worldwide” with about 40,000 deaths caused by fine particle pollution (PM2.5) in the Philippines in 2021. 

For the health expert, it’s important to make the threats of air pollution to the public by providing real-time data on air quality. 

“One way we could help campaign for that policy change is to make the threat of air pollution more visible to the community and to our stakeholders. So one of the most powerful ways to do that is real-time air quality monitoring that's accessible to all of our stakeholders,” said Chua. “And with that data that we get from that, we can measure the impact of air pollution more accurately in our local communities.” 

Under the coalition is also a network of low-cost air quality sensors provided by global company Clarity Movement. These are deployed in various cities in Metro Manila. 

“Air quality data is only powerful when it’s real-time, localized, and actionable,” said Ethel Garcia, Regional Account Manager for SEA and Oceania, Clarity Movement. “With smarter sensors and stronger partnerships, we’re helping Metro Manila turn invisible threats into visible solutions.” — LA, GMA Integrated News