As there was previously no automatic air quality monitoring station in Békéscsaba, installation of a continuous monitoring station was one of the objectives of the HungAIRy LIFE integrated project to collect information on air quality.

To find the optimal location of the monitoring station, air quality monitoring campaigns (4 times 2-week periods) were carried out on various sites of the city between 1 January 2019 and 31 May 2020. Considering the results of the measurements, the Air Quality Protection Office of the Hungarian Meteorological Service suggested the yard of the Békéscsaba Health Centre (located at 33 Kolozsvári Street in the Jamina district) as the location of the monitoring station.

The new monitoring station was set up on 30 November 2021, and the trial period of one month was ended on 31 December 2021. According to the Government Decree No 71/2015 (III. 30.), the competent government office, namely the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office is responsible for the operation of the monitoring station.

The concentrations of ozone (O₃), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO₂), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2,5) are measured at the monitoring station. Meteorological parameters, such as wind direction and speed, precipitation are also continuously measured. The up-to-date data from the continuous monitoring station is transferred to the operator, where the measurement data is processed and verified. The Békéscsaba monitoring station is now part of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network. You can view the latest air quality data on the

https://legszennyezettseg.met.hu/en page,

where you can also search for historical data.

The importance of the monitoring station is confirmed by the fact that the data from the monitoring station can be used for preparing much more accurate air quality forecasts, well-founded and data-based analysis and reports, which help in planning new air quality measures and measuring the effectiveness of the existing measures.