Air quality in Cavite City

Is Cavite City currently suffering from high air pollution?

Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite, is a 4^th class component city in the Philippines. It is situated in Manila Bay and is an important seaport. A census conducted in 2020 estimated the population of Cavite to be approximately 100,674 people.

At the beginning of 2022, Cavite City was going through a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 57. This United States Air Quality Index number is an internationally used set of metrics supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used to compare the air quality in different cities throughout the world using comparable standards. It is calculated by using the levels of the six most commonly found pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. If all six figures are not always available in which case, a level is calculated by using what data there is. The only pollutant measured in Cavite City was PM2.5 which was 15 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is one and a half times over the recommended safe level of 10 µg/m³ as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level. Although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

When air pollution is classified as being “Moderate” the given advice would be to remain indoors as much as possible, closing doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those who are more sensitive to poor quality air should avoid venturing outside until it improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality face mask should be worn at all times. All types of outdoor exercise should be avoided until the air quality improves. There is a downloadable app from AirVisual.com which is suitable for all operating systems and gives the latest information regarding air quality in real-time.

Does this level of air pollution remain the same in Cavite City throughout the year?

Air quality can be affected by many things, therefore it can and does change rapidly depending on the local conditions. Looking back at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that Cavite City was subject to “Moderate” air quality for the entire twelve months. Figures need to fall into the 12.1 to 35.4 µg/m³ category to be classified as such. The cleanest month was April with a reading of 14.9 µg/m³, the dirtiest was September with a 24.4 µg/m³ reading.

Records for air quality were first kept in 2019 when the annual average figure was 26.2 µg/m³, but in 2020 the figure showed a marked improvement with a reading of 19.6 µg/m³, but this lower figure was almost expected because it would have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed and the staff encouraged to work from home, in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere, albeit on a temporary basis. Worldwide, cities reported a much better quality of air due to the general lack of traffic pollution in city centres due to the pandemic.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Cavite City?

Among the direct consequences of air pollution, we could highlight the development of diseases and conditions in humans and biodiversity, as well as the loss of visibility in areas of large concentrations or the appearance of unpleasant odours.

Energy production is the main source of air pollution, although not the only one. The burning of coal by power plants or those plants based on diesel, are two of the most frequent and harmful emission sources. In the same way, although to a lesser extent compared to the previous ones, industrial processes and the use of solvents in chemical industries contribute to air pollution and global warming.

About 25 per cent of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions come from transportation. These emissions cause premature deaths every year due to poor air quality. Half of them are a consequence of the use of diesel fuel due to the emission of nitrogen oxides. There is no doubt that current transport is inefficient, expensive and unsustainable as it cannot be kept up at the same rate without compromising future generations.

It is estimated that 40 per cent of the generated waste and organic waste is burned in the open, resulting in emissions of harmful dioxins, furans, methane and black carbon into the atmosphere. A problem that especially affects those regions or areas that are in the process of urbanization or developing countries.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Cavite City?

In urban areas with large concentrations of population, it is essential to work on policies that contribute to the reduction of air pollution. For example, through the use of cleaner fuels or the implementation of means of transport powered by renewable energies that are not harmful to people.

In general, increase in vehicle registrations is caused by the increase in population especially in urban centres to cater to the transport needs of the people. Although more national roads and bridges are being improved and built through the years, main roads remain heavily congested particularly during rush hours, prolonging vehicle emissions as travel time is increased. The increase in purchase and registration of motorcycles can be attributed to the thought that these vehicles are faster, use less space and consume less fuel compared to cars. Those who can afford use cars because the mass transit system of the country is undeveloped, explaining the steady increase in car registrations as well.

The solution to heavy traffic is the improvement of the Philippines’ mass transport system as less vehicles will be used, thus reducing mobile emissions. The DOTC has implemented and still continue to promote rationalisation projects for public transit, especially for buses and jeepneys which dominate the roads in terms of numbers.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing polluted air?

Even healthy people can experience adverse health impacts from polluted air including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during strenuous exercise or outdoor activities. The actual risk of adverse effects depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and concentration, and the length of exposure to the polluted air.