An EU-funded research project has set up an air-quality monitoring network in South Nicosia-Idalion Municipality and developed a web app that gives three-day forecasts of particulate pollution, as part of efforts to prepare Cyprus for desert dust episodes, the project said on Wednesday.
The CiROCCO project, carried out in Cyprus by the University of Cyprus, the Department of Labour Inspection (DLI) and the municipality, installed five low-cost sensors and one higher-quality AQMesh station across the area. Their sites cover a primary school, residential areas, an industrial facility, an agricultural community and a rural area with livestock farming, with the AQMesh station at the Idalion Municipal Cultural Centre.
The network, which measures particulate matter and weather conditions, has recorded at least three desert dust episodes, according to the project.
Cyprus is frequently hit by dust carried from North Africa and the Middle East, which can sharply increase concentrations of fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5) on top of pollution from traffic, industry and other local sources. High levels are a particular concern for children, older people, people with respiratory or heart conditions and those who spend long periods outdoors.
Forecasts and alerts
The new CyEnvHub web app combines readings from CiROCCO, the University of Cyprus and the DLI on interactive maps and charts. It also offers 72-hour PM10 forecasts, based on the EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), for an area chosen by the user.
The app is designed to notify registered users when PM10 levels are forecast to exceed set thresholds or when high concentrations are detected, so they can adjust outdoor activities. Final checks on forecast accuracy, alert delivery and user testing are still under way.
“Timely air quality warnings can make a real difference in our residents’ daily lives,” said South Nicosia-Idalion Mayor Stavros Hatzigiannis.
Official measurements
To assess how reliable the low-cost sensors are, the University of Cyprus placed one alongside a DLI station at Idalion 3rd Primary School that uses a reference-equivalent measurement system. The project stressed that its sensor data are not a replacement for official air-quality measurements, but could complement them.
Chrysanthos Savvides, head of the DLI’s air-quality section, said Cyprus’s proximity to the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East “fosters the frequent occurrence of dust episodes in its atmosphere”. Research such as CiROCCO supports the government’s efforts to give the public, workers and vulnerable groups accurate and timely information to protect themselves, he added.
Petros Mouzourides of the University of Cyprus, scientific lead of the Cyprus pilot, said that by combining monitoring, satellite observations and forecasting, “we are laying the foundations for a sustainable early-warning service”.
Wider use
The project has also installed two low-cost sensors and an AQMesh station in Amathounta Municipality, in the Limassol district, where commissioning and checks are continuing. Whether such networks can operate in the long term will depend on maintenance, reliable data transmission, quality assurance and agreement on which institutions are responsible, according to the project.
A 2025 University of Cyprus study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, assessed 11 operational dust forecasting models, including CAMS, against ground-level measurements in the Eastern Mediterranean, including during intense dust episodes in Cyprus.
South Nicosia-Idalion Municipality received the ‘Green City of Cyprus 2025’ award in the atmospheric air category for its dust-monitoring initiatives at the 8th Pancyprian Environmental Awards on 5 October, according to the project.
CiROCCO, coordinated by the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) in Greece, runs from 1 March 2023 to 30 November 2026 and involves 12 organisations from seven countries. It has a total budget of 3,583,218.75 euros, of which the EU is contributing 3,147,975 euros. Its final event will take place in Athens on 30 November.
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