Most likely, on Sunday, air pollution will persist, people need to be careful / Article / LSM.lv

Air pollution from forest fires, which are raging in Russia and Ukraine, is not decreasing in Latvia, therefore it is not recommended to engage in physical activities or work outdoors. Particular caution should be exercised in people with respiratory diseases.

In Lithuania, an alarm system has been activated, and people have been informed by text messages that outdoor activities should be avoided at least until Sunday, October 4.

According to LTV weather editor Toms Bricis in the LTV program “Panorama”, the latest indicators on air pollution in Latvia show that PM10 or small particulate matter, which is unhealthy when inhaled, has increased air pollution throughout Latvia.

In Riga and Rucava, on the other hand, this amount has exceeded 100 micrograms per cubic meter, which is very dangerous.

However, it is important that these latest data are for Friday, October 2, Bricis emphasized, because for Saturday, October 3, data are not available in Latvia at all.

“But looking at Lithuania, where information arrives every hour, the air still doesn’t get cleaner there, and even in some places there are 150 micrograms per cubic meter, for example, in Vilnius,” explained Bricis.

Latvian Center for Environment, Geology and Meteorology (LEGMC) late, only on October 3, urged people to be careful, noted Bricis. In Lithuania, meanwhile, text messages were sent to the population on October 2.

According to Iveta Indriksone, Head of the Monitoring Department of the LEGMC, compared to the situation in Lithuania, the concentration of pollution in the airspace of Latvia is lower. “The level of pollution recorded on land in Latvia is not at such a high level that we can activate such a mechanism as informing the population,” Indriksone pointed out. She also explained that such mechanisms exist in Latvia. In situations when the level of pollution is high, the LEGMC in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, the Health Inspectorate, the State Environmental Service and the State Fire and Rescue Service shall make a decision on notification.

However, according to Toms Bricis, according to the scale developed by the LEGMC on the centre’s actions at different levels of air pollution, the currently known level of pollution is classified as “very poor” and the center should be alerted to an emergency situation.

Bricis emphasized that only a press release sent by the LEGMC on October 3, which lacked information on how and the responsible services to proceed, could be considered as such a “warning”. In this respect, conditions in Lithuania are better, Bricis noted.

However, he explained that the action of the LEGMC is probably justified by the fact that “Latvia has outdated equipment that captures these PM10 particles.

Consequently, in Latvia we receive data on the quality of air with a delay of one day.

Therefore, on Thursday, when there were so many smoke bubbles in the air that the sun could not be seen, I also told and reassured people in the evening in “Panorama” that there is no air pollution on the ground, because the LEGMC’s operational data did not indicate pollution.

However, on 2 October, people already had their first complaints of well-being, and only on the morning of 3 October – a report that conditions may affect health.

Bricis pointed out that it is difficult to predict how long the fires will last in Russia and Ukraine and whether they will create new smoke bubbles that will travel to Latvia.

However, forecasts show that the prevailing winds will remain unchanged on October 4, so air pollution in the country is likely to remain on Sunday, and the situation will only improve from Monday.

Bricis also expressed hope that the next time this situation happens, the responsible specialists will also look at satellite images and modeling data to warn the public in time.

“Tomorrow we will definitely be careful, avoid being outside, definitely from physical activities outside, and follow the information. I think we will be able to report on Monday that the air quality has improved, ”said Bricis.

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