Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Horizons air quality information online

Horizons air quality information online

Air quality monitoring information for the Horizons Region is now available on the Land, Air, Water, Aotearoa (LAWA) website.

The air quality module is the latest addition to the LAWA site which also provides data on river and lake quality, swimming and real-time flow, rainfall and groundwater data throughout the country.

Horizons Regional Council environmental scientist Harold Barnett says they have a small programme to monitor the Region’s air quality with sites at Taumarunui and Taihape.

“We measure the concentrations of fine particles, or air pollutant, called PM10 at these sites and feed this information back into the LAWA site,” he says.

“Air quality across our Region is generally pretty good year round compared to the other regions in New Zealand. However it can become degraded in some towns on cold still days and nights when a combination of human activities such as domestic heating, location, geography and air temperature traps the fine particles close to the ground.”

Mr Barnett says everyone can help to minimise the degree of air degradation this winter by being considerate and taking care when using wood burners and fires.

“Burning green, wet or treated wood, plastics or household waste should be avoided. Their burning releases undesirable chemicals and gases into the air.

“Using dry firewood creates warmer and more efficient fires that smoke less and emit fewer fine particles. It’s also important to take care not to burn waste in your backyard that may release toxins and impact air quality.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Mr Barnett says visitors to the LAWA site can now see and compare the latest hourly and average daily data for PM10 nationally.

“People can also find longer-term seasonal and annual trends and see how our Region measures up compared to the rest of New Zealand.”

Launched in 2014, LAWA provides an easy-to-use portal for the public to access information about the quality and availability of New Zealand’s natural resources online at www.lawa.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.