The National Center for Environmental Compliance has installed 240 monitoring stations across various regions in the Kingdom in an effort to provide real-time information on air quality. The stations collect data on 22 different air components and update indicators every five minutes.
The stations aim to inform the public about the quality of air in their surroundings, allowing them to take necessary precautions when needed, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
Ali Al-Qarni, the project supervisor at the center, said that the distribution of the sites had taken into account population density and the presence of industrial cities and facilities with potential environmental impact.
The center takes immediate action as soon as the stations detect high levels of air pollution, in accordance with the executive regulations of the environmental system, Al-Qarni added.
He said: “We’ve created a website for the public that maps the locations of air monitoring stations in all regions of the Kingdom.
“We will soon launch an application on mobile phones to keep the public updated with the findings of the stations.”
Some of the monitoring stations are mobile and can be relocated to areas with higher demand, Al-Qarni said.
He added that industrial cities will also receive periodic reports to ensure the maintenance of air quality.