site.btaSofia Municipality Presents Measures for Curbing Air Pollution

Sofia, December 12 (BTA) - Around 60 per cent of particulate matter (PM) air pollution can be attributed to transport, while 40 per cent comes from household heating, the latter of which leads to the high air pollution levels during the winter season, said here on Tuesday Sofia Deputy Mayor Yoana Hristova while presenting the mechanism containing operational measures for curbing air pollution in the capital.

She explained that the mechanism is connected to the Town Hall's early warning system for PM air pollution, developed by a team of scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The system's objective is to provide forecasts for the next two days based on four automated stations across Sofia, which would inform citizens and allow for necessary measures to be taken.

The mechanism contains two types of measures - those that can be adopted by a single act and those related to introducing certain restrictions when air pollution is expected. The measures are yet to be discussed by Sofia Municipal Council commissions.

Among the planned single act measures are introducing changes to the traffic organization in the city centre by requiring all buses driving through the area to be Euro 6 certified. This is also in sync with Town Hall's plans to replace public transport vehicles with environmentally friendly ones by 2019, Hristova explained. Waste collection traffic through the city centre is also to be optimized in the winter months, the Deputy Mayor said.

Hristova explained that construction equipment and heavy trucks in the city centre are the main contributor to air PM pollution. This is why the monthly fees for construction equipment heavier than 4 tonnes will be raised to 120 leva, while the fee for machines weighing over 30 tonnes will be 150 leva per month. Building new buffer parkings is also on the agenda.

Certain restrictive measures are to be taken when air pollution is forecast. If the expected fine particulate matter pollution ranges from 51 to 100 microgrammes (mcg) per cubic metre (cu m), citizens will be urged to refrain from using their cars, while those using solid fuels for heating will be asked to switch to alternative types of fuel. If pollution is projected to range between 101 and 150 mcg/cu m, free parking will be offered across buffer parking lots on a first-come-first-serve basis for those using public transport. Pollution ranging from 151-200 mcg/cu m will lead to doubling the parking fees in the city's central Blue Zone parking area. If pollution is expected to exceed 200 mcg/cu m, more radical measures may be taken, including offering the so called green ticket for public transport, which will be at a cost of 1 lev and valid throughout the day. If high-level pollution lasts for more than two days, the traffic police will be called on to increase vehicle technical inspections, including harmful gas emissions checka. National legislation amendments are also on the agenda.