About the National Network for Monitoring Industrial Emissions

First: Introduction

The national network has been established to monitor emissions from factories at the end of 1998 to control the self-monitoring networks of cement plants in the Arab Republic of Egypt using an electronic network, to assure the instantaneous and follow up of emissions, and to assure that the extent of emissions released from stacks comply with the allowable limits stipulated in Law No. 4 of 1994, as amended by Law No. 9 of 2009 and its implementing regulations, aiming at controlling emissions from factories because of its dramatic impact on public health of the citizens. Therefore this national network has been linked to all cement plants operating in the Arab Republic of Egypt as a first stage.

Second: The National Network Goals

The national monitoring network of industrial emissions of EEAA is one of the basic tools to collect data and information on emissions quality and its quantity and the analysis of these data contributes effectively to the control process in industrial pollution, and also contribute in giving a clear picture of air quality in places located nearby those companies through analysis of pollution loads, where they can use the data collected in the following:

• Estimating the size of the emission and its timely development of its rates.
• Follow-up of compatibility of emissions with limits prescribed by law No. 4 of 1994 on the protection of the environment.
• The possibility of making a comparison of the rates of pollution in different places.
• The possibility of assessing the health and economic impacts resulting from emissions released in case of the availability of tools for that assessment.
• Effective contribution in the evaluation of the maximum limits set forth in the Regulations to Law No. 4 of 1994.
• Environmental assessment of the surrounding areas, as well as its evaluation on the strategic level.
• Monitoring of the compatibility of emissions from these stacks more accurately without interference by the companies in determining the quality, the form and timing of available data.
• Accounting of environmental loads of emissions.
• Developing a warning system in case of exceeding the maximum emissions limits provided by law.

Third: The Legal Obligations of Continuous Self-monitoring Operations

Within the framework of the amendments made to the executive regulations of Law No. 4 of 1994 amended by Law No. 9 of 2009 where it included direct texts that determine the legal and legislative framework which oblige some industrial sectors to perform continuous self-monitoring operations of their emissions as following: Article 20 of executive Regulations of Law No. 4 of 1994, which stipulates "The environmental monitoring networks which is currently existing and its affiliated working units shall follow its administrative competent authority including continuous and self-monitoring units of various enterprises, and it shall monitor components and environmental pollutants periodically and provide data to the concerned authorities in the way and the manner required by these authorities, and it can benefit from research centers, competent bodies and authorities in the way and the manner required by these bodies, and these centers, bodies and agencies shall provide it with required studies and data, supervised by EEAA on the establishment and operation of environmental monitoring networks in preparation for the establishment of a national program for environmental forecasting ".