Paris choked by worst pollution in a decade
PARIS was smothered by its worst winter pollution in a decade this week, with commuters enjoying free public transport and half of all cars ordered off the road to try to clear the air.
The surge in pollution has been driven by cold weather and near windless conditions that have trapped exhaust fumes, smoke from wood fires and other pollutants, according to the French capital’s AirParif air monitoring service.
Although bad by Paris standards, current levels of fine airborne particles, or PM10, are about 60% of those in Beijing and a fraction of readings in New Delhi, the world’s most polluted capital.
Traffic restrictions were in place this week, with a ban imposed on private cars with registration plates ending in odd numbers from between 5.30am and midnight yesterday.
The rule has been in place since Tuesday, alternating between odd and even plates.
Public transport in the city was free for a second day running on Wednesday, to encourage commuters to leave their vehicles at home, while school children were prevented from exercising outside.
“This is a record period [of pollution] for the last 10 years,” AirParif’s Karine Leger said.
For more than a week now, PM10 readings have been at dangerously high levels. Other parts of France are also being choked by smog.
Officials in the southeast Rhone valley region said they would introduce measures to restrict car use from today to combat the problem in the city of Lyon.
The Greens candidate in next year’s presidential election, Yannick Jadot, said politicians needed to target the most polluting vehicles and restrict the use of diesel engines.
Measures are already in place to phase out diesel engines in buses in the capital.
This is only the fourth time Paris has resorted to traffic restrictions to cope with air pollution. Officials took similar measures in 1997, 2014 and last year. – AFP