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Description
The project focuses on measuring of air quality on a route within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) – Eastern and East Mediterranean Corridor (section connecting the state border CZ/DE – Prague) and preparing 3 action plans to reduce the impact of air pollution.
The surroundings of the corridor are polluted by pollutants from road, rail and water transport. After an analysis of the affected area, three main urbanized localities were selected on this route: Praha-Zdiby, Mělník and Ústí nad Labem. Each municipality has a different composition of emission sources. It is therefore desirable to determine the share of traffic in air pollution in these localities. All these municipalities struggle with increasing road transport (e.g. plans to build new logistic centres), do not have sufficient measured data to adopt binding measures for their cadastre to regulate the construction activities and plan, with main focus on air quality and improvement of the environment.
The implementation will be based on the results of PZKO 2020+ Northwest Zone CZ04, Central Bohemia Zone CZ02 and Prague Agglomeration CZ01.
The project partners will carry out automated air quality measurement, collect samples using sampling devices (PP1 ENVItech), they will subsequently analyse the data in a lab to identify the sources of air pollution (LP VŠB TU Ostrava), model the data (PP3 Norsk Energi) and prepare action plans (PP12 GetBizDone).
The partners will jointly implement the CP and inform about the project publicity according to the project methodology. They will cooperate with all involved municipalities and their citizens. The partners will arrange a trip for participants and representatives of municipalities to Norway in order to share inspiration and experiences of good practice.
Summary of project results
The project focused on preparing a tool for air protection, since the air quality in our region is one of the worst in Europe. Our citizens repeatedly express concerns about polluted air and its impact on health. Substances monitored in the project often exceed the limit concentration according to the Air Protection Act, and further tightening of limits is expected. Measurements conducted during regular monitoring do not have a spatial nature and cannot always detect the cause of pollution. The project utilized methods that identify specific sources, thus allowing for their better regulation. The action plan includes a list of measures that are most beneficial for the monitored municipality. The measures are concrete and understandable, considering the economic feasibility and the municipality''s capabilities. The purpose of the "Action Plan" is to direct future funds into reasonable activities, such as green care, transportation measures, fuel and domestic boiler replacements, sustainable energy utilization, etc. This aligns with the current trend of transitioning to cleaner energy and reducing carbon footprint. Since Action Plans were discussed with the authorities of respektive municipalities, it will be easier to access future grants. Currently, several projects have even utilized grants for greenery, precisely because of the Action Plans.
For the project, it was necessary to thoroughly study the information about the area, its sources, and discuss everything with representatives of the involved institutions (Mělník, Zdiby, Ústí nad Labem). Three municipalities participated in the project, and approximately 5 locations were selected in each locality. In total, 14 locations were measured. Air monitoring focused on PMx, NO/NO2 and organic compounds. At the same time, meteorological conditions such as temperature, pressure, wind, and humidity were monitored. The mentioned measurements were carried out continuously using reference techniques, according to the applicable EU directive, using the same method as the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) measures air in its monitoring network. We revisited each location and repeated the measurements under various seasonal conditions. The entire measurement process took almost a year and a half. During the same period, other colleagues visited municipal office workers and inquired about what troubles them the most regarding air pollution in their municipality. The next phase involved evaluating the results, using the method of source identification under the guidance of Professor Raclavská at VSB-TUO. In this method, dust is collected, and the laboratory identifies over 400 organic compounds in it. The composition of the dust allows attributing the source of air pollution to it. Evaluating the measurements is a highly specialized part of the project, and thanks to this, we learned that transportation is a very significant source of air pollution, that we have problems with burning solid fuels, but also that we are transitioning heavily to burning biomass. The project revealed areas of traffic congestion, burning of low-quality fuels in local heat sources, or problems with local industrial sources. Although the average PMx and NO/NO2 results are optimistic, they are still not sufficient. The biggest problem was with benzo(a)pyrene, which exceeded the annual limit concentration (for 24 hours) even by 5 times. This is a rather serious situation and is mainly related to local heating. Understanding the causes of air pollution will allow us to invest well in its protection, so that it can help as much as possible.
The main outputs are three Action Plans for the municipalities of Ústí nad Labem, Zdiby, and Mělník. The report includes numerical data, source identification, and a list of possible measures. Air quality monitoring has shown very good quality in the municipalities, but it is unsustainable in the long term. The average concentration of PM10 in Mělník is very favorable, reaching 50% of the annual limit level. Exceeding the daily limit of 50 µg.m-3 is only present in 2.9% of the measured concentrations. Deterioration of conditions occurs during the heating season. With the exception of the station in Kladno (Švermov), the situation is similar at ČHMÚ stations. Exceeding the daily limit of 50 µg.m-3 at sites in Ústí nad Labem is only present in 1.3% of the measured concentrations. Concentrations of nitrogen monoxide (NO) regularly exceeded the level at some sites, highlighted in graphs with red shading. NO2 concentrations were exceeded several times at all monitored sites, with the highest and most frequent values recorded at the Zdiby/Klecany site, mainly in the summer. Concentrations are clearly related to transportation, with the NO/NO2 ratio exceeding 2.0 on selected days, mainly during peak traffic times. In conclusion, the entire monitored area is significantly influenced by transportation. It is also worth noting that the measured concentrations do not pose an increased health risk to residents. The average concentration of benzo(a)pyrene in Ústí nad Labem and Zdiby is approximately 0.5 ng/m3, which is favorable, while in Mělník, the average is 1.5 ng/m3 with a maximum of 4.7 ng/m3. This is likely related to local heating sources but does not indicate a significant problem. When comparing individual cities, it is evident that in all cases, chemical compounds from traffic predominate. The highest average concentration of organic compounds was measured in Ústí nad Labem, which is approximately five times higher than the concentration measured in Zdiby and approximately ten times higher than the concentration measured in Mělník.
Air quality still remains a crucial issue for our citizens, which is why public administration focuses on its protection. The TENT project was aimed at preparing real measures supported by monitoring. This approach is highly desirable because measurement without impact on everyday life is toothless. Municipalities generally know they need to address dust pollutioni, but they don''t know much about the significance of benzo(a)pyrene, and despite their knowledge of their territory, they have trouble identifying the major culprits. Simply put, there has been already enough of mere measurement without action. The Action Plan provides specific information on how to use municipal funds and serves as expert argumentation for obtaining grants. The range of measures is wide - from greenery care and road cleaning to transportation infrastructure or energy. The Action Plans serve as a repository for many years and are apolitical, meaning they are needed by every municipal leadership. Interventions in energy and transportation are planned for decades due to their complexity. Conversely, implementing regular above-limit road cleaning or planting and maintaining greenery can be addressed immediately. Some measures require communication between the municipality and the source, which also takes time. Therefore, the Action Plans have prepared air protection work for more than 10 years, and given the deadlines set by the EU in the Green Deal policy, the year 2030 is very close, bringing about significant changes in air protection legislation. If municipalities are not prepared, achieving changes that have a positive impact on health will be very difficult. Conversely, it is unfortunate that the entire public administration is not systematically addressed, as problems can arise even in areas that currently appear to be doing well. The prepared action plans and implemented methodology can be applied even outside the municipalities supported by the TENT project.
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian partner participated in the online project team meetings, attended the opening and closing conferences and participated in the presentation of the project results and outputs during his visit to the Czech Republic. There has been a sharing of experience in the development of pollution models. A very interesting contribution was the application of Norwegian type pollution modelling to areas in the Czech Republic. Results and good practice from both countries were shared, especially in preparing the Czech Republic for lower air pollution limits. We would like to develop our cooperation in further international projects. A debate on this topic arose between different segments of experts at the final conference and during the Norwegian visit to Prague, and plans are now being continued.