The smog emergency to hit many
Italian cities intensified on Thursday with the situation in
Turin deteriorating and pollution levels remaining high in Rome
despite a ban on the use of all diesel cars, including those
with euro6 emission standards.
"I can see lots of controversy and requests about the
measures to stop diesel (vehicles)," Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi
told a press conference.
"Obviously, our primary aim is to protect the public's
health.
"We are acting within the realm of what is foreseen by the
law".
Many people have raised doubts about whether banning diesel
cars from being used for certain periods of the day is an
effective way to bring down pollution levels.
The ARPA Lazio environmental agency said Thursday that the
level of Pm10 particles was above the legal limit at nine
monitoring sites out of 13 in Rome, up from eight sites on
Monday.
The alarm level in Turin, meanwhile, was raised a notch to
purple, meaning that, as of Friday, vehicle restrictions will
also include diesel cars registered after January 2013 with
emission standards of euro5.
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