The system of air quality monitoring 

             Air quality monitoring in the city is performed by the Department of Hydrometeorology at the Ministry of Ecology and Emergencies. The system is functioning according to the standards and regulations established as early as in the Soviet period. In recent years, due to the insufficient funding, the quality of monitoring has been continuously deteriorating. In comparison with 1990, the number of samples taken has decreased almost two times (from 32,845 to 17,161). The list of controlled pollutants has decreased considerably. As against 1900, in 2000 the control of the following pollutants stopped: soluble sulphates, carbon oxide, phenols, hydrogen cyanide, benz(a)pyrene, as well as the content of such heavy metals as cadmium, manganese, copper, nickel, lead, zinc in the solid fraction. Practically, there is no monitoring of emissions directly on the sources; the main data are more and more often obtained by calculation methods, which are not always correct. The control equipment has practically not been updated, what can lead to veracious results.