10 July 1996 Meet Christchurch's new air pollution monitors

Air pollution in Christchurch is coming under the scrutiny of a novel band of environmental monitors – scientifically minded student volunteers from city primary and secondary schools.

Enlisted to provide a community-based assessment of the extent of city air pollution, the students – more than 30 of them – represent Hornby High School, Shirley Boys' High, Somerfield Primary and Thorrington Primary.

The project, a pilot one, is being facilitated by Lincoln University's new Department of Resource Management and the Lincoln Environmental arm of Lincoln Ventures in association with the Canterbury Regional Council.

Essentially it involves having the keen school student volunteers out and about in city suburbs recording data such as air temperature, wind speed, cloud cover, smog presence, smog odour, visibility levels, chimney smoke, vehicle exhaust emissions and other information relevant to the air pollution problem.

"We see the project as an extremely valuable first effort in assessing the potential for community-based environmental monitoring as an adjunct to remote and solely instrumental monitoring," says the Head of Lincoln's Department of Resource Management, Dr Ian Spellerberg.

Leading the Lincoln involvement are Department Senior Lecturer Dr Ken Hughey and, for Lincoln Environmental, Dr Jonet Ward.

"Air pollution has been a major environmental and health problem in Christchurch for many years and the Canterbury Regional Council's responsibility under the Resource Management Act for 'managing' the air quality gives it an enormous and problem-filled task," says Dr Hughey.

"The Regional Council has four remote air pollution monitoring stations in Christchurch and uses data from these in its decision-making. However, it is important that the management measures under consideration by the Council take into account the views of the community and particularly Christchurch's future adult citizens.

 "Regional Council staff are very supportive of the programme and see it as making a significant contribution to their work on air quality management.

"Community-based monitoring is one means of gathering additional information. It is also a way of getting the community more involved with the pollution issue and its solutions.

"We approached 20 schools with the proposal, not all responded, but the four we have chosen give us improved coverage of the city so we can supplement the remote stations' data and hopefully obtain a really comprehensive picture of the situation," says Dr Hughey.

"Our job so far has been has been to co-ordinate meetings between the Regional Council scientists and the school monitors, to set up the objectives and methods for the project and to develop the data collection forms.

"On an on-going basis Lincoln will monitor the study, act as 'trouble-shooter' when problems arise and, ultimately, after consultation with schools and the Council, report on its success or otherwise."

The study is running for three months – June, July and August – with the schools reporting weekly to the Regional Council with their data.

National interest in this example of community based environmental monitoring is high, says Dr Ian Spellerberg.

"We see the initiative as a tremendously exciting way of teaming up of youthful enthusiasm for science with a serious local government responsibility and statutory requirement.

"This sort of community-based project really expresses what we're all about in the Department of Resource Management – looking at problems, issues, concerns, and policies that relate to the resources we all rely on and so often take for granted," he says.

"Air, for example – don't we all take it for granted until it starts choking us and causing widespread health problems.

"Working in this way with the Regional Council and primary and secondary schools clearly shows our involvement with 'real life' problems and helps put to rest those old myths about the remoteness of university scientists. We breathe air, drink water and worry about pollution like everyone else."

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.