1st Webinar on Health-relevant air quality data informing policy and the public

SHAHNAZARYAN GAYANE

Deputy Director, Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center SNCO, Ministry of Environment, Republic of Armenia E-mail: [email protected]

“Improved environmental monitoring and assessment in support of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in South-Eastern , Central Asia and the Caucasus” 16 December 2020  Introduction of organization, work & responsibilities  International Conventions, Agreements and Legal Framework  Ambient air quality monitoring program  Transboundary Air Quality Monitoring (EMEP) in Armenia  Data dissemination and Availability  Current issues Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center

HMC is state non-commercial organization of the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Armenia Main responsibilities:  Air quality monitoring (including Long-range transboundary monitoring and atmospheric precipitation chemistry monitoring)  Meteorological Observation  Surface water quality and quantity monitoring  Groundwater quality and quantity monitoring  Soil pollution monitoring  Waste monitoring  Biodiversity monitoring  Forest Monitoring  Data processing, assessment, publishing, disseminating and etc.  UNECE convention on Long rang transboundary air pollution (Geneva, 1979) and its protocol on Long-term Financing of the Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP) (ratified by RA 14.05.1996)

 UN Framework Convention on (ratified by RA, 14.05.1993)

 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Layer and Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (ratified by RA, 28.04.1999)

 UNECE Convention on access to information, public participation in decision making and access to justice in environmental matters (ratified by RA, 14.05.2001)  EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed 24 November 2017

 Roadmap on CEPA Implementation was approved by Decision 666- L of the RA Prime Minister on 1st June 2019 and endorsed at the second meeting of the Armenia-EU Partnership Council on 13 June 2019.

 The roadmap consists actions of 3 EU directives related to the air quality management: . Ambient Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC . Directive 2004/107/EC . Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) 2010/75/EU,  RA NHO-121 law (October 11, 1994) on “Atmospheric air preservation” The RA Government N50-3 protocol decree (December 15, 2016) on “Approving the concept of the law of the Republic of Armenia on atmospheric air preservation”  On Amendments To The Law Of The Republic Of Armenia On Atmospheric Protection Of Air (project)  The RA Government N1120-N decree (September 14, 2017) on “Defining the composition of atmospheric emission standards and control methods”,“Revoking the RA Government/January 11, 2017/ N1120-N decree (Official reference N58, 2017) N160-N Decree (February 2, 2006) on “Approving norms of maximum permissable concentration (MPCS) of athmospheric air pollutants in settlments’’  N1186-N Decree (October 16, 2008) on “Approving the order of prediction, warning and response of hydrometeorolgical hazards with reference to over pollution of the atmosphere, climate change and the condition of ozone layer’’  N762-N Decree (July 8, 2015) on “Approving the order of monitoring over the areas with high levels of pollution in the republic of Armenia (in particular, the areas adjacent to mines)  The RA Government N259 decree (22.04.1999) on “ Approving the order of state registration of harmful effects on atmospheric air’’  The RA Government N1673-N decree (27.12.2012) on “Defining the development and approval order of norms of maximum permissible emissions (MPEs) of atmospheric air pollutants, and recognizing the invalidation of the RA Government N192-N decree (March 30, 1999) and N953-N decree (August 21, 2008)’’  RA law on supervising self-control over execution of environmental legislative requirements (in approval phase)  Number of Active Sampling Stations: 15  Number of Passive Sampling Points: 210  Number of Settlements: 11

 Total number of pollutants measured:

(Total dust (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO2 & NO), Ground level ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), heavy metals in dust)

Detailed information about air quality network in the cities can be found at http://armmonitoring.am/page/61 Sampling methods Parameters Sampling Analytical Frequency Methods Spectrophotometric, Passive NO2, SO2 Weekly Sampling methods/Griess,Thorin

Spectrophotometric, Active Sampling NO2, SO2, O3 Daily PM methods/Griess,Thorin, Gravimetric

Automated CO Hourly UV-monitor Analyzers Transboundary Air Quality Monitoring Study Area

EMEP station is located at the representative area, on the slope of Mount Aragats, the highest point in the country, in accordance with general guidelines of EMEP for monitoring background concentrations of air pollutants in Armenia. The station is in operation since September 2008. Latitude 40°23'04.0''N Longitude 44 °15'38.1''E Altitude 2080m

 Quality Control and Assurance (QC/QA)  Participation in inter-comparison studies conducted under the scope of European Monitoing and Evaluation Program (EMEP) and Global, Atmosphere Watch (GAW). Matrix Parameters Sampling Sampling Analytical Methods frequency KOH-impregnated Whatman 40 filter 20÷25 m3/day Ion chromatography (Dionex Air SO2, HNO3 (Filterpack) Daily 1000) NaI-impregnated glass sinters, 0.6 m3/day Spectrophotometric, Griess NO2, Daily method (Shimadzu, UV 1650) Oxalic acid-impregnated Whatman 40 filter, 20÷25 Spectrophotometric, with NH3 m3/day (Filterpack) Daily Nessler’s reagent (Shimadzu, UV 1650) UV-monitor UV-absorption (Analyzer Model O3 Hourly 400E) - - 2 Teflon filter, Pall Zefluor 2 µm, 47 mm diameter, Ion chromatography (Dionex Aerosols CI , NO3 , SO4 20÷25 m3/day (Filterpack) Daily 1000) + Teflon filter, Pall Zefluor 2 µm, 47 mm diameter, Spectrophotometric, with NH4 20÷25 m3/day (Filterpack) Daily Nessler’s reagent (Shimadzu, UV 1650) + + 2+ Teflon filter, Pall Zefluor 2 µm, 47 mm diameter, ICP-MS (Elan 9000) Na , K , Mg , 3 20÷25 m /day (Filterpack) Daily Ca2+ Precipitation Amount Meteorological station, official gauge Every event By volume Na+, K+, Mg2+, Wet-only ICP-MS (Elan 9000) Every event Ca2+ + Wet-only Spectrophotometric, with NH4 Every event Nessler’s reagent (Shimadzu, UV 1650) - - 2 Wet-only Ion chromatography (Dionex CI , NO3 , SO4 Every event 1000) pH, conductivity Wet-only Every event pH- and conducto-meter Wind speed and Direction, Temperature, Relative Whether Transmission Humidity, Pressure Hourly Meteorology Equipment Precipitation observations are conducted in two background stations for basic constitutes (at Amberd and Tsaghkadzor sites). 36 indicators are monitored (pH, conductivity, major anions and cations, heavy metals).

Quality Control and Assurance (QC/QA)  Participation in inter-comparison studies conducted under the scope of European Monitoing and Evaluation Program (EMEP) and Global, Atmosphere Watch (GAW).  Ministry of Environment http://www.mnp.am/

 Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center SNCO web page http://www.armmonitoring.am/ Facebook page HMC

 Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia http://armstat.am/en/ and http://armstatbank.am/  Monthly Reports about Air quality (graphs, exceedance statistics) http://armmonitoring.am/page/5

 Newsletter on the results of environmental monitoring of the Republic of Armenia (quarterly) http://armmonitoring.am/public/admin/ckfinder/userfiles/files/weather/hidro/III%20Eramsyak%202020.pdf

 State of Environments Reports (annual) http://armmonitoring.am/public/admin/ckfinder/userfiles/files/texekanq/tarekan/Annual-19.pdf

 Annual Bulletins http://armmonitoring.am/public/admin/ckfinder/userfiles/files/ampopag/Odi%20Obzor%202019.pdf

 Air pollution distribution maps for SO2 and NO2 (Weakly and monthly) http://armmonitoring.am/page/5

 Reporting to the Ministry of Health and Inspectorate for Nature Protection and Mineral Resources about high concentrations of pollutants

 Reporting to the Ministry of Environment and RA Government about high concentrations (exceedance of MAC) of pollutants weekly

 Air quality data can be provided upon user’s written request.

NO2

SO2 Air Ambient air quality standard pollutants (maximum permissible concentration) 3 SO2 24 hour mean: 0.05 mg/m Max. Daily: 0.5 mg/m3 3 NO2 24 hour mean: 0.04 mg/m Max. Daily: 0.085 mg/m3 NO 24 hour mean: 0.06 mg/m3 Max. Daily: 0.4 mg/m3 CO 24 hour mean: 3 mg/m3 Max. Daily: 5 mg/m3 Dust 24 hour mean: 0.15 mg/m3 Max. Daily: 0.5 mg/m3 3 O3 24 hour mean: 0.03 mg/m Max. Daily: 0.16 mg/m3

Ambient air quality standards are established by the RA Government decision, N 160, 2006 Socio - Economic Situation of RA, January-October 2020 https://www.armstat.am/file/article/sv_10_20a_560.pdf

Air quality information published by Cities, by indicators, by number of observation stations and sampling points, excess of MPC average concentration of controlled substances, number of excess

Environment and Natural Resources in the Republic of Armenia for 2019 https://www.armstat.am/file/article/eco_book_2019_12.pdf Statistical Committee of RA

UNECE indicators on www.ArmstatBank.am

A1. Emissions of pollutants into the 01 atmospheric air

A1-1. Emissions of pollutants into the 02 atmospheric air (per capita and per square)

03 A2. Ambient air quality in urban areas

A3. Consumption of ozone depleting 04 substances Online publications: www.ArmstatBank.am Environment with UNECE indicators

www.armstatbank.am/pxweb/en/Ar mStatBank/ArmStatBank__8%20Envir onment%20and%20energy__Environ ment__(A)%20Emissions%20of%20pol lutants%20into%20the%20atmospheri c%20air/EE-a2.px

A2. Ambient air quality in urban areas Statistical Committee of RA Statistical Committee of RA-SDGs

Not reported National Capacity Building within ENI SEIS II project

 Data sharing in ENI SEIS II project web site  Fact sheets for Armenia on the status of air quality monitoring and  Two regional capacity building events (Copenhagen and Tbilisi) with country visits to gauge the current situation with legislation, institutional set-up and existing infrastructure (automatic stations, air quality information systems, databases, IT infrastructures, etc.) and deliver hands-on training on the open source e- reporting tool RAVEN developed by the EEA and its experts.  We install the Raven Software with support to the experts of NILU  Modernize existing air quality monitoring system in accordance to international requirements,  Provide real-time data to the public and for better management of air pollution  Improve access to data  Introduce air pollution modeling and forecasting system, linkage to the data  Develop or adapt cross-sectoral assessment tools  Accreditation of the Laboratory  Connect local data to the global networks, portals

A general concept for improving air quality monitoring in Armenia based on requirements arising from the CEPA agreement (harmonization towards the European Air Quality Framework Directive) will be developed with Austrian Environment Agency