The Minister of Sustainability and Environment of the Andalusian Government, Catalina García, has stated that the Air Quality Monitoring and Control Network of Andalusia «is the most extensive in Spain», as the region has 94 fixed stations distributed throughout the area, ensuring «constant and real-time monitoring of air quality». This is achieved «with the support of two key institutions,» García continued, «such as the Andalusian Air Quality Reference Laboratory (LARCA) and the Environmental Quality Data Center (CDCA).
During a parliamentary appearance to report on the actions of the Ministry of Sustainability in air quality control, García explained that Andalusia faces a challenge in this area due to the region’s particular climatic conditions, such as high insolation, lack of rainfall, atmospheric stability, and proximity to the African continent. «These conditions exacerbate the situation compared to other European regions, and our health and well-being depend on the actions we take to ensure clean and healthy air,» García stated.
To this end, she recalled that the Andalusian Government approved the Andalusian Air Quality Strategy (EACA) in September 2020, with the aim of improving air quality and, consequently, the quality of life of the Andalusian population. Through this strategy, «specific improvement plans are developed in certain areas where action is needed to approach the values recommended by the World Health Organization, mainly through the Air Quality Index,» the minister pointed out.
Thanks to all these data centers, monitoring, and surveillance, «Andalusia has consolidated a cutting-edge structure for environmental monitoring» that «efficiently addresses the challenges posed by air quality and its impact on public health and the environment,» García emphasized. In this regard, she highlighted the four million euros investment that the Government has made since 2019 to improve all these systems. Additionally, she noted that an even greater investment is planned, specifically 11 million euros until 2027, to continue making improvements in all these systems.
Likewise, she congratulated the LARCA, a reference laboratory since 2013, for «consolidating its position as one of the two national air quality reference centers.» «It plays a fundamental role in ensuring data forecasting and coordinating interlaboratory comparison exercises, allowing Andalusia to lead in technology and methodology applied to air quality,» she explained. Similarly, she highlighted that this center recently organized a national-level intercomparison exercise «that has established Andalusia as a technical reference in the field.»
Regarding the Environmental Quality Data Center, she specified that it «monitors continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, all the information collected by the Surveillance Network» and that «this control system is a reference at the European level.»
Reaction Capacity
Thanks to these infrastructures, the minister stated that Andalusia has improved its reaction capacity to pollution episodes and effective strategic plans have been designed to improve air quality. She also added that «the commitment to precise and continuous monitoring of air quality and the necessary systems to make the data available to the population allow for providing rigorous information to citizens and establishing effective measures for health and environmental protection.»
She also wanted to highlight the work of the AMAYA technicians and the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment, as they «have played a key role in implementing specific measurement campaigns and improving action protocols in environmental quality matters.»
In this commitment to improving air quality in Andalusia, the minister also explained that «a series of plans and strategies have been established to protect public health and comply with European and national environmental regulations.» Therefore, in areas where values exceed the established limits, Air Quality Improvement Plans have been developed.
With these plans, «in addition to reducing pollution levels, the main emission sources responsible for exceeding these limits are identified, specific actions are established, and the necessary measures are implemented for each of the affected areas, as well as the relevant preventive measures,» the minister explained.
In this line, she announced that currently there are 11 air quality improvement plans in progress in the Bay of Cadiz, Malaga and Costa del Sol, Granada and Metropolitan Area, nuclei of 50,000 to 250,000 inhabitants, Seville and Metropolitan Area, Villanueva del Arzobispo and its surroundings, Industrial Zone of Bailén, Industrial Zone of the Bay of Algeciras, Industrial Zone of Carboneras, Industrial Zone of Huelva, and new rural areas. The one in Cordoba, on the other hand, although prepared by the ministry, must be approved by the municipality as it is a single-municipality area.
Finally, before concluding her appearance, Catalina García wanted to emphasize the importance of responsible use of resources and that «air quality is not a luxury, but a necessity.» Thus, she stressed that in Andalusia «it is being demonstrated that it is possible to advance with determination and commitment» and that the region is a leader in «environmental research, applied technology, and sustainable management.»