July 5, 2019

MPI to Study Dust Pollution in Yakutsk

Sinet Group, the Yakutsk Mayor's Office and the Melnikov Permafrost Institute (MPI) have concluded a tripartite agreement on dust pollution research in Yakutsk. With 279,000 residents, Yakutsk is home to about one-third of Yakutia's population. Despite the city has no major industry, air quality has been deteriorating over the years. Public concern is growing about dust which builds up to very high levels during summer. Suspended particulate matter 2.4 times the permissible level was reported in the summer of 2018 in the downtown area. The sources of dust in Yakutsk seem obvious - unpaved ground, sanding for winter road maintenance, windblown material from the new residential developments on reclaimed land, and soil overtopping the damaged or low curbs. However, the relative contributions of each factor are not known. MPI will install 180 mobile dust gauges and undertake a comprehensive array of analyses to identify the primary sources. Results will be used by the local authorities to prioritize mitigation measures. The study will be supported by Sinet Group, a Yakutsk-based association of IT companies, non-profit projects and development initiatives. (Photo NewsYkt https://news.ykt.ru/ : Arsen Tomsky, Sinet Group CEO, Mayor Sardana Avksenteva, and Mikhail Zhelezniak, MPI Director)