RIGA, March 14 (LETA) - Dust pollution in Riga has decreased in recent years, LETA was told at the press office of Riga City Council.

According to the municipal spokespeople, the improvement of air quality has been achieved thanks to various measures like wet street cleaning and double surface treatment on gravel streets.

The concentration of fine dust particles, often referred to as particulate matter (PM) or PM 2.5 in the air has decreased significantly in Riga. In 2020, it was 14.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air. In 2023 it dropped to 12.8 micrograms and in 2024 to 10.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

Viesturs Zeps (For Development of Latvia), chair of the Housing and Environmental Committee of Riga City Council, indicated that measures are being gradually taken to make the capital city's air cleaner and move towards compliance with the targets set by the European Union (EU).

"Last year we adopted a new regulation on heating zones and the permitted types of heating, which will have an effect over time. We are also continuing to take various other measures, such as promoting the use of public transport, setting up EV charging points and others," says Zeps.

Air quality in Riga is also affected by cross-border pollution, where pollutants from other countries are transported into Latvia and Riga by wind. For example, Saharan desert dust was observed in Latvia in spring 2024. In turn, south and east winds bring pollution from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine,

Climate change has increased spring dust levels in northern Europe, but measures taken by Riga City Council have mitigated some of the negative effects.

Several air monitoring stations are operating in Riga to provide accurate air quality data.