ranked third most polluted city in the world in a ranking, the city of Milan is worried and takes strict measures

The economic capital of Italy suffers in particular from its geographical location, but above all pays the consequences of its activity.

It’s like a very subtle layer that makes the air grayer. The city of Milan and its region have, since Tuesday February 20, 2024, been subject to strict anti-pollution measures with traffic restrictions, calls to turn down the heating and a ban on the spreading of slurry in fields. Since the start of the year, alerts on air quality in the Italian city have multiplied and are causing concern.

On Sunday February 18, the Swiss company IQ Air, which sells air purifiers, indicated that, for a few hours, only Dakha in Bangladesh and Lahore in Pakistan were ahead of the economic capital of Italy among the most polluted cities in the world . The city has since been demoted in this live ranking, but nevertheless appears among the most polluted cities around the world.

Almost a month well above authorized standards

Data considered unreliable, however, according to certain Italian media, such as the city’s center-left mayor Giuseppe Sala angry: “We are taking action to improve air quality. The Regional Agency says that this is the case, but not enough, and I affirm it. But from there to everyone taking information from a private institute, it’s not possible!“

If the regional environmental protection agency is less alarmist than this private ranking, the data remains striking. Since the start of the year, for almost a month in total, Milan was above the permitted standards for fine particles, up to 30 times above the limit on the darkest days.

The economic capital of Italy pays the consequences of its activity: industry, population density, traffic, intensive breeding in the region… The Po plain is wedged between the mountains, and this end of winter looks like spring in Italy makes things worse, since rain is rare. The nearby Turin region has declared a state of natural disaster. Sicily declared a state of natural disaster at the beginning of February due to drought.