Effective Smog Monitoring Needed in Mexican Cities Emilio Godoy - Inter Press Service
go to original June 24, 2013

A neighborhood in southern Mexico City, where visibility is limited because of the smog. (Emilio Godoy/IPS)

MEXICO CITY - Mexican cities with populations of more than 500,000 face serious obstacles in monitoring air quality and reducing air pollution, but as of July local authorities will be required to do both, and to submit mandatory reports on their efforts to the federal government.

The new requirements that will soon enter into effect were approved by the Mexican government last year, in an attempt to tackle the urgent task of reducing levels of air pollution in urban areas, yet many local governments are still ill equipped to comply with them.

According to experts consulted by Tierramérica, the main difficulties stem from a lack of financial resources as well as the human resources needed for the adequate operation of the monitoring and measurement instruments involved.

Existing monitoring networks “do not work as well as one would hope,” said Ricardo Torres, a researcher from the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at the public National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Read the rest at Inter Press Service

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