Under the 2 million euros project, scheduled for completion in 18 months, 12 pollutant monitoring stations will be installed in the capital, and the Zarqa and Irbid governorates, especially in areas close to industrial facilities.

The stations will detect carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, fallout and other gases, according to the Environment Ministry.

“These stations will be linked to the Environment Ministry via a network and will help us in the decision-making process. For example, the stations will monitor the quality of air in a populated area where a factory is located. If we discover that the air in the area is polluted due to emissions from the factory, we will close down the factory or warn its owners to rectify the situation,” Ministry of Environment Spokesperson Isa Shboul told The Jordan Times.

The project will also help the ministry identify areas in the country with air pollution, enabling it to take the necessary corrective measures, he added.

Shboul said the initial approval to finance the project followed a visit by a delegation from the French agency to the country, where they met with ministry officials and concerned authorities and were briefed on the situation. 

Last year, the Environment Ministry announced a plan to install pollution meters equipped with screens displaying pollution percentages, in various parts of the capital.

The ministry said the implementation of the project, designed to gauge air pollution and raise awareness among citizens of the necessity to preserve the environment, would start as soon as funds were available.