The Almaty Air Initiative Foundation is launching a new stage in the development of the city’s community-based air quality monitoring system. In addition to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), monitoring in Almaty will now cover gaseous pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and ground-level ozone.

To support this expansion, 30 new monitoring stations have been deployed in addition to the 170 sensors already installed across the city. Seventeen of the new stations are located near key social facilities and public spaces visited by thousands of residents every day, including schools, kindergartens, and public squares.

As before, data from all sensors can be viewed in the Mycar.kz app under the “Air Quality” section. On the map, the new stations are marked with squares; users can click on them to view pollutant concentrations in a specific area of the city.

Unlike the existing network, which effectively monitors PM2.5 — primarily generated by the burning of solid fuels for heating at industrial facilities and in the residential sector — the new sensors provide more detailed monitoring of gaseous pollutants, including those associated with vehicle emissions:

– nitrogen dioxide (NO₂);

– carbon monoxide (CO);

– sulfur dioxide (SO₂);

– ground-level ozone (O₃).

The World Health Organization identifies these pollutants as priorities for regulation because of their direct impact on human health. Nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide are produced during fuel combustion in internal combustion engines. Sulfur dioxide is generated by the combustion of solid fuels; in Almaty, its main source is coal-fired combined heat and power plants.

Numerous studies have linked elevated concentrations of these pollutants to adverse health effects:

–NO₂ is associated with inflammatory respiratory diseases and the exacerbation of asthma;

– CO reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen;

– ground-level ozone increases respiratory irritation and affects people with chronic health conditions;

– sulfur dioxide contributes to diseases of the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, immune, and endocrine systems.

Zhuldyz Saulebekova, Executive Director of the Almaty Air Initiative Foundation:

«The introduction of new sensors capable of monitoring these pollutants strengthens our community-based monitoring network — the densest of its kind in Central Asia — and enables us to collect important data on the composition and sources of air pollution. This information should support all stakeholders working to improve air quality».

The new monitoring stations are currently undergoing a pilot testing phase. Once testing is complete, the data will be integrated into the Almaty Air Initiative’s open-access dashboard:

https://dashboard.air.org.kz/