The lease contract for the automatic station measuring organic and inorganic pollutants in Ruse is to be renewed

Thursday, 13 July 2023

With 33 "yes" votes, the municipal councilors approved the renewal of the lease contract for the automatic station measuring the concentration of fine dust particles and organic pollutants in Ruse.

"When I took office, I found only 2 air stations - state ones. One of them (located next to the Second Fire Station) also measured organics, but it is in a poor condition and is constantly broken. At our requests to repair and move it, the state refuses. She wants to decommission her due to lack of finances to maintain her, as well as the depreciated organic compounds apparatus. But my team and I managed to create 3 more stations for Ruse, which are municipal. 2 of them measure fine dust particles, and we rented the third one from Belene and last year we retrofitted it to also measure organic pollutants," explained Mayor Pencho Milkov.

Every year according to schedule, the Executive Agency "Environment" sends its mobile station, measurements and organic compounds to Ruse. Since it has not shown any excesses in recent years, the agency does not plan to send it to the city this year.

"If the contract with the Municipality of Belene is not renewed, and given the depreciation of the station next to the Fire Station, there is a high probability that Ruse will be left without a station for measuring organic pollutants. This station makes our city independent from the will of the state," insisted the mayor.

Last week, employees from the Department of Ecology also conducted a survey in which 775 citixens of Ruse participated, and over 95% of them supported the need for the station and the continuous air monitoring it provides.

At the moment, the station, located in the yard of the former "Peter Beron" Auxiliary School, has a FFP measurement system and a gas analyzer system for 24-hour measurement of benzene and volatile organic compounds (toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes: ortho, meta-para- cyclohexane, styrene). The data is integrated into the local computer system of the station, and the results are available to citizens on the website of the Municipality. To date, the technique has not registered excesses in the concentration of the listed compounds.

In 2021, the station was leased by the Municipality of Belene after an auction. The right to use it was for 24 months, which are expiring, which gives rise to the need to renew the contract.

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