Malika Akramova* lives with her family in the outskirts of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Her house is next to a large cement plant. Every morning, she wakes up to find that everything inside is covered with dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the cement plant\u2019s two smokestacks are working it is difficult for us to breathe,\u201d Akramova said tearfully. \u201cIf it were possible, we would have moved to another place a long time ago. But the money we earn is barely enough to live on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of 30 March, Dushanbe\u2019s air has been \u2018good\u2019 for just five days<\/a> so far this year. This means the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded by the US embassy, considered one of the most reliable sources of standardised pollution data, has consistently been above 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Dushanbe, the government monitors and publishes<\/a> daily air quality. The US embassy in Dushanbe also measures pollution<\/a> levels in the city. However, the data is not complete, according to Timur Idrisov, senior adviser to Little Earth, an NGO based in Dushanbe.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn order to understand what are the main sources of emissions, what pollutants enter the atmosphere and what priority response measures can be taken, it is necessary to have an effective and extensive system for monitoring the state of the environment, including atmospheric air. We don\u2019t have it,\u201d Idrisov said.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ikrom Mamadov, coordinator of the Ecological Network of Tajikistan, agreed. Mamadov said that comprehensive data on air quality should form the basis for future policy decisions.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAgainst this backdrop, the adoption of an Environmental Code with public participation could be a good start to bring our regulatory framework in line with international environmental standards,\u201d Mamadov said.<\/p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n In recent years air quality in Dushanbe, home to about 900,000 people, has deteriorated<\/a>. Over a 195-day period<\/a> in 2019, levels of particulate matter were below those considered dangerous by the World Health Organization on only four days. The problem is severe all year round, but worsens during autumn and winter, when the city\u2019s coal-powered heating system is fired up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n