The environmental state of emergency for ozone in the Valley of Mexico has been lifted. Head of the Natural Resources and Environment Secretariat (Semarnat), Rafael Pacchiano, made the announcement this Thursday at 4 p.m., three days after the state of emergency was decreed by the Megalopolis Environmental Commission.
In an appearance that lasted less than ten minutes, Pacchiano, accompanied by Mayor of Mexico City Miguel Ángel Mancera and Governor of the State of Mexico Eruviel Ávila, announced the creation of a intergovernmental task force that will address the situation in the next 15 days. The task force will seek the cooperation of the six states that make up the megalopolis: Puebla, Hidalgo, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Mexico City and the State of Mexico to improve monitoring of air pollution.
Among the measures that will be applied are voluntary examinations of motor vehicles to guarantee that they have catalytic converters and to prevent contaminating vehicles from circulating. These measures will be extended to public transit vehicles and government vehicles.
Pacchiano concluded that Semarnat will remain prepared for worsening air conditions. If the metropolitan index of air quality (IMECA) rises above 150 points, the state of emergency will be reinstated.
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