The TUNisia-Italy Cross-Border Environment Net platform for emergency response (NETTUNIT) project for sharing information and forecasts on weather and ocean hazards as well as marine and atmospheric pollution was concluded on Friday in Tunis.
Launched in 2020, the project has helped the National Institute of Meteorology (INM) to access this type of information and also to share information between the various Tunisian and Italian players in the meteorological and oceanic fields, said INM Director General Ahmed Hmam.
Speaking on Friday at the closing meeting of the NETTUNIT project, Hmam pointed out that this information, available on an IT platform designed by the Italian side, helps to minimise the harmful effects of any environmental incidents.
“The results of the cooperation between the Tunisian and Italian services within the framework of this project are extremely practical and useful,” he underlined.
Permanent and mobile stations designed to measure atmospheric pollution, notably the most toxic gas
es that are undesirable for human health, have been acquired as part of the “NETTUNIT” project.
“The data from these stations will be used, among other things, to validate the results of the air pollution forecasting model or to carry out measurement campaigns and studies where necessary,” he added.
Managed by the INM, this project was a synergy between the various institutions that intervene in the event of a marine or atmospheric pollution accident, notably the Abdrrahmen Mami Hospital in Ariana (HAMA), the Digital Research Centre in Sfax (CRNS), as well as three Italian partners, namely the Italian National Research Council | CNR Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking ICAR, the Caltanissetta Provincial Health Authority (ASP-CL) and the IES Intelligence for Environment and Security – IES Solutions (IES).
INM’s Director of Research and Development Hatem Baccour underlined the need to further develop the Institute’s forecasting and warning activities with regard to atmospheric and marine
pollution, and to forge cooperation ties with national and international institutions specialised in these fields.
He also drew attention to the INM’s achievements, notably in terms of modelling tools for dealing with and predicting atmospheric and marine pollution accidents.
He recalled that pollution and the transfer of pollutants (air and sea) are strongly correlated with meteorological parameters.
With a budget of pound 1,066,000, 86% of which is funded by the European Union, this project is part of the European Neighbourhood Instrument and its cross-border cooperation programme.
The programme aims to foster cooperation between EU Member States and countries in the European neighbourhood.
The entire Tunisian-Italian coastal area is a sensitive site in the face of possible pollution, especially the coastal fringe consisting of nature reserves, breeding grounds of marine species, fishing activity, tourism, port operations and human settlements along the coast.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse