The Centre for Atmospheric Research (CAR) has established a network of nine air quality censors across the country to measure air quality and create awareness on the need to have a healthy environment.
Prof. Babatunde Rabiu, Director of CAR, an activity centre of the National Space Research and Development Agency (CAR-NASRDA), disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja.
Rabiu said the project `Purple Air Censor Network’ being the first of its kind in the country was in collaboration with Penn State University, a US-based institution.
He explained that air quality censors were devices capable of measuring the quality of air that humans breathe, monitor atmospheric gases, especially greenhouse gases, as well as measure pollutants in the air.
According to Rabiu, the censor operates in line with the emerging technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is the Internet.
“As of today we have a network of air quality measurement in Nigeria, we have equipment operating in nine locations of the country under the Purple Air Censor Network.
“These censors provide data on real time basis that are reported on a global network available on www.purpleair.com and gets updated every minute,’’ Rabiu said.
The locations of the censors, he said, were, the Centre for Atmospheric Research Complex, Anyigba, Kogi, Bayero University Kano, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Osun State University Campus, Osogbo and Kebbi State University, Aliero, Kebbi.
Others, he said, were located at the University of Benin, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Agbarha-Otor, Delta, Obasanjo Space Centre, Ibadan and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency.
The director added that air quality censors were of two types, the ground-based censors which were installed on the earth and the satellite-based censors that censor the atmosphere from remote areas using remote sensing.
`The ground-based censors monitor the atmospheric aerosols, relative humidity and it has a calibration system based on the American Standard to give us the Air Quality Index.
“With that, you will be able to know when the environment is healthy, safe, when unhealthy, and when one needs to report to the hospital for check-up,’’ he said.
Rabiu said that the normal air quality index was figures below 27, while 100 and above is already high, while figures from 200 pose health challenges and could affect humans.
He said the project started in October, while the centre was working to widen the scope of the network by deploying two air quality censors to every state and including the FCT.
According to him, CAR is working with a network of Nigerian scientists in various institutions to host the facilities and conduct research on observed data.
He said the censors required regular power supply, internet connectivity to measure air quality and ensured security.
He decried that the censors were operating based on America’s calibration standard, adding that they were meant to be working on a local standard which was lacking.
“We do not have our local calibration standard because unfortunately, Nigeria does not have a standard and we are working towards this hoping to drive the process in collaboration with relevant government agencies.
“What we have now is the ability to measure air quality index and we are working on our capability to forecast air quality and hopefully to be supported by the Ministry of Environment.
“We need strong advocacy to alert people on the quality of air in their environment,’’ Rabiu said.
He, however, said that they were working out modalities to meet with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Environment, Nigeria Meteorological Agency in the first quarter of 2021 to discuss air quality concerns.
According to him, air quality is considered a meteorological variable.
He also said that CAR on its webpage, www.carnasrda.gov.ng was consistently reeling out information on air quality, urging the public to visit the site for their environmental consciousness.
