Secretary of State Responsible for Sustainable Development said the number of air quality monitoring stations will reach 101 stations by 2030.
By Kawtar Ennaji
Rabat – On Monday, June 17, Nezha El Ouafi, Moroccan Secretary of State Responsible for sustainable development, stated that the number of air quality monitoring stations will reach 101 instead of 29 stations by 2030. This addition comes as a means of strengthening the network of air quality control.
Speaking at a meeting held on World Environment Day, El Ouafi noted that this strengthening is part of the national air program (2018-2030) aimed at reducing pollution from stationary and mobile sources and strengthening the regulatory framework. She added that 17 priority actions have been developed and validated.
The actions include the allocation of MAD 10 million for the extension of the air quality monitoring network in priority areas. El Ouafi also highlighted the participation in the development of an institutional framework for the future management of a national network for air quality monitoring in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment.
The secretary added that “the dynamics of our country in recent years in the field of environment and sustainable development were translated into the enactment and entry into force of the framework law on the National Environment and Sustainable Development Charter and the adoption of the national strategy for sustainable development.”
“Our country has put in place a number of regulatory, institutional, incentive and operational measures and initiatives to address the negative impacts of air pollution generated in particular by the industrial sector and the transport sector,” she concluded.
The resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Morocco, Martine Therer, praised Morocco’s efforts to promote sustainable and inclusive development in accordance with international conventions and agreements and particularly the program of sustainable development by 2030.
“The fight against air pollution is a plague that causes, on average, every year the premature death of 7 million people in the world,” she said, recalling that the SDGs tend to reduce the number of deaths and diseases caused by this issue.
Similarly to other countries, Morocco celebrates, on June 5 of each year, the World Environment Day. This year’s theme is “Fighting air pollution”.
The State Secretariat for Sustainable Development organizes, throughout the month of June, in coordination with its partners, several activities at the national and local levels, including seminars, meetings, cleaning operations and the broadcast of informative and sensitization programs on radio and television channels.
