The precautionary pollution warning that had been in force in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, AMB, since October 19 due to the intrusion of dust from the Sahara, was deactivated at the beginning of November.
At the time (in October), a precautionary warning was issued because 22 stations in the hourly pollution measurement network were above 50ug/m3 due to the presence of Saharan dust. By mid-October the forecast indicated that there would be no improvement in levels in the next 24 hours.
This environmental episode has been the impetus to continue advancing in the adoption and implementation of structural measures to improve air quality and, of course, the quality of life of the inhabitants.
Why was the measure suspended?
Because the General Directorate of Environmental Quality and Climate Change verified the favorable evolution of atmospheric conditions since the activation of the measure until the beginning of November.
For this reason, the preventive warning of an environmental episode of atmospheric pollution caused by the presence of high levels of PM10 was lifted.
Thanks to permanent monitoring, it is evident that PM10 levels (solid or liquid dust particles) decreased in the stations of the Air Pollution Monitoring and Forecasting Network. In addition, the weather forecast models presented favorable scenarios.
Measures to reduce pollution in the AMB
At present, several measures are being developed in the AMB in order to achieve better environmental quality. Among them are:
- Reduce and control emissions from construction sites through a metropolitan framework ordinance.
- Reduce and control emissions from industries with emission sources into the atmosphere.
- Develop educational programs and activities aimed at disseminating the concept of air pollution and measures to reduce emissions.
- Implement the sustainability education program in schools, collaborating centers and municipal facilities.
With respect to mobility, control measures have also been implemented. Among them, the following stand out:
- Start-up of the Low Emission Zone of the Barcelona ring roads and other Low Emission Zones in the local environment.
- Implementation of the metropolitan green card to encourage the use of free public transportation for three years. The objective is to ensure that every day citizens prefer to use this mode of transport rather than the private car.
- Environmentalization of the cab fleet, whereby from 2019 the use of new diesel cabs will not be authorized.
- Construction of the Bicivía infrastructure, bike lanes and safe parking lots, as well as the use of electric scooters.
- Encouragement for the purchase of electric vehicles with subsidies, as well as the implementation of recharging points.
