Riga invests in environmental protection

Some 300,000 euros are being allocated to three key projects for the city’s climate targets

Environmental protection has grown into one of the key pillars of any successful local government programme – even interim ones, like the current governing body in the Latvian capital of Riga. With climate change remaining a long-term priority for officials and citizens alike, the Riga’s interim administration has greenlit the allocation of some 300,000 euros to three key areas meant to safeguard the environment in the urban area.

Checking all the boxes

By approving the Riga Environmental Protection Fund utilization programme, the city’s local authorities lit the path towards increasing environmental protection in the capital. The funding that will be allocated to projects in the city amounts to 300,000 euros, to be divided into three main areas – air pollution, noise pollution and drainage.

The largest chunk of funding will go towards improving Riga’s air quality. A total of 140,000 euros will be dedicated to the development of the Riga City Air Quality Action Programmes 2021-2025. The funding will be used to help authorities in developing solutions for the reduction of harmful substances in the city’s air – like PM2.5, PM10, benzene, Benz (a) pyrene and nitrogen dioxide NO2. The models that will be developed will also help future governments plan their actions according to where change will have the greatest impact on citizens’ lives.

The second-largest amount of funding will go towards renewing the city’s drainage equipment in the Spilve polder. Some 104,000 euros have been allocated for the purpose of repairing and improving the crucial pumps of the facility as well as the dam system that ensures even water levels.

Finally, when it comes to noise pollution, the local government of Riga will spend a total of 54,000 euros for the purchase of digital information data that is necessary to develop and update the city’s strategic noise map. Through it, authorities will have at their disposal concrete data highlighting problem areas in the urban area that will help them advance to further stages of dealing with the issue.