This winter’s cleaner air in Invercargill is a win for community health, but lasting change requires ongoing effort.
Environment Southland’s winter air quality monitoring season ended on August 31 and it said in a statement just one exceedance of the National Environment Standards for Air Quality was recorded for Invercargill.
The national standards require airsheds to stay below a PM10 concentration of 50 micrograms per cum threshold over a 24-hour average. Invercargill’s exceedance was 54.3 micrograms per cum.
Environment Southland science investigations and operations manager Ash Rabel said wind patterns might be a factor.
"In recent years, we have seen more easterly winds than usual, which might be driving some of the changes in PM10.
"However, we’re hopeful that the choices people are making, like burning dry wood, upgrading to cleaner heating systems, phasing out open-air fires and being more mindful of how they use their burners, are also contributing to the improved air quality for the Invercargill and Gore airsheds this year.
"Whatever the cause, fewer exceedances and cleaner air are great news for our community’s health, and we want to see that continue," he said.
This year, Environment Southland introduced a pilot programme to send out Antenno alerts in the Invercargill airshed when air quality was likely to reach high pollution levels.
Alongside the permanent monitoring stations in Invercargill, Gore and Winton, temporary sites were placed in Te Anau, Mataura and Riverton, as part of an ongoing study in which air quality monitoring is rotated.
Home heating was one of the biggest contributors to poor air quality in Southland, and it was also an area where people could make the biggest difference, Environment Southland said.
Environment Southland operates a Good Wood-approved suppliers’ scheme. — Allied Media
