Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate has been established since 1981, aiming to promote industrial development and decentralize the economy. As government is more inclined on economic development and industrial investment than environmental protection, the severity of environmental problems have been increasing for the past few years. Given this government inclination, air pollution in Map Ta Phut has become a serious environmental concern. Relevant to addressing this concern, this study focuses on investigating the ambient air quality monitoring system for Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate and determining the who, what, when, where and how often to monitor the pollutants and their impacts on the environment. It is found that air monitoring for the industrial estate is still less effective for producing accurate and consistent monitoring data. Furthermore, data availability and dissemination to the general public also cannot meet public satisfactory in terms of data content, presentation, reliability and quality. To improve the existing monitoring system for Map Ta Phut, a comprehensive quality assurance/quality control program needs to be developed for enhancing instrument performance accuracy and ensuring reliable and high quality monitoring data. The programs for emission inventory development, as well as for meteorological condition measurements (especially mixing height data) are needed for identifying air pollution problem more accurately and for increasing the accuracy level of modeling for assessment purpose. Such activities can support and strengthen air quality monitoring capabilities of authorities to control air pollution in Map Ta Phut area.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1999