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Environment: Smog alarm in Milan – Region takes action

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Environment
Smog alarm in Milan – Region takes action

Numerous measures are being taken to combat the dirty air in Milan. photo

© Luca Bruno/AP/dpa

At times the air in Milan was the third worst in the world. People in the region should spend as little time outdoors as possible.

The northern Italian metropolis Milan and the surrounding provinces have been suffering from extremely poor air quality for days. Because of the smog, certain restrictions have been in effect in Milan and eight other provinces in the Lombardy region since Tuesday in order to deal with the problem of dirty air and fine dust pollution. These include a partial diesel driving ban and a ban on lighting open fires or using certain wood stoves.

The high level of fine dust pollution has been causing problems for the densely populated region in the north of Italy for some time. On Sunday, the air in Milan was at times the third worst in the world in a ranking by the private Swiss environmental company IQAir. Before Milan, only Dhaka in Bangladesh and Chengdu in China landed. According to the environmental agency Arpa, many limit values were significantly exceeded at the weekend.

In winter, smog is a known problem in some major Italian cities. The Po Valley in the north is particularly affected by this due to the lack of air circulation, which is due, among other things, to its geographical location between high mountains. In addition, due to the high population density in the area, there are many vehicles and houses that emit emissions. Little wind and rain make things even more difficult.

In Milan, the city has now pointed out that the heating controls should be reduced to 19 degrees in order to reduce emissions. It is also recommended to spend as little time outdoors as possible.