Air pollution report released: Istanbul's districts with the worst air quality identified

A study on air pollution rates in Istanbul between 2022 and 2023 was conducted by Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros, a faculty member at the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Department of Meteorological Engineering, and Yiğitalp Kara, an İTÜ master's student and research assistant at the Samsun University (SAMÜ) Faculty of Aviation and Space Sciences, Department of Meteorological Engineering.

In this context, the particulate matter (PM10) ratio in the air, recorded by the air quality measurement stations of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, was examined.

Accordingly, the average particulate matter concentration in the air in Istanbul was measured at 36.003 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) in 2022. In 2023, air pollution was 36.958 µg/m3, an increase of approximately 3 percent compared to the previous year.

Last year, the station where particulate matter air pollution was measured the highest in Istanbul was Kartal with 54.095 µg/m3. This was followed by the Esenyurt station with 53.463, Mecidiyeköy with 51.815, and Yenibosna with 51.662 µg/m3, respectively.

During the same period, the station with the lowest air pollution was Büyükada with 17.782 µg/m3, while particulate matter pollution was determined to be 20.632 µg/m3 at the Şile station, 20.865 µg/m3 in Kumköy, and 21.837 µg/m3 in Sarıyer.

In Istanbul, the air pollution rate increased at 11 stations and decreased at 13 stations in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Last year, Yenibosna ranked first among the stations where air pollution increased the most compared to 2022, with 69.54 percent. Yenibosna was followed by the Üsküdar-2 station with 19.77 percent, Bağcılar with 19.56 percent, Başakşehir with 19.46 percent, Kartal with 14.92 percent, and Büyükada with 12.60 percent, respectively.

During the same period, the station where average air pollution decreased the most was Şile with 17.71 percent. Şile was followed by the Çatladıkapı station with 17.36 percent, Şirinevler with 11.97 percent, Ümraniye 2 with 11.42 percent, Maslak with 10.91 percent, and Sarıyer with 10.48 percent.

The average air pollution (PM10) of the stations in Istanbul was as follows:

USE OF DIFFERENT FUELS INCREASES POLLUTION

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros told an AA reporter that Istanbul's air pollution levels dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic due to reduced human activity.

Stating that air pollution began to rise again after the pandemic, Toros explained that the increasing number of vehicles, meteorological conditions, and the use of fuels other than natural gas are reasons that increase air pollution.

Prof. Dr. Toros emphasized that the stations where particulate matter air pollution was measured the highest in 2023 were Kartal, Esenyurt, and Mecidiyeköy, and continued as follows:

"In Istanbul, traffic density is high in places like Kartal, Esenyurt, and Mecidiyeköy. For this reason, we see that pollutants are effective. In some places, fuels burned for heating, separate from traffic, can cause air pollution. Air pollution is one of the world's major problems. It can cause many diseases. We all have duties to reduce air pollution. First and foremost, we need to increase the use of renewable energy sources."