Health concerns in Barcelona rise in the last year.

The air quality in the major city has fallen dramatically, surpassing the threshold of acceptable levels set by the World Health Organisation which is considered a dangerous level to citizens. The levels are worst for nitrogen dioxide, with levels increasing by 11% in the last year due to the high levels of traffic in the city.

The town hall has expressed its concern about the situation which hugely affecting the quality of peoples’ lives. According to the deputy mayor of Social Rights, Laia Ortiz, although the levels comply with the law, they do exceed the parameters stipulated by the World Health Organisation. As a result, a global plan to reduce the harmful effects of pollution will be presented in the coming weeks.

Barcelona pollution

Contamination in Barcelona

As well as the need to reduce the impact of pollution in the city, the findings of the analysis show that there are also other health factors that need to be considered. Such as reducing the socioeconomic gaps between the disadvantages and more privileged areas of the city to balance the life expectancies across all areas of Barcelona. Other worrying issues include the limited range of health services and the high amount of drug addicts and sexually transmitted diseases.

Purity and Cleanliness in Barcelona, Spain
Air Pollution 68.08 High
Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 56.97 Moderate
Dissatisfaction with Garbage Disposal 33.33 Low
Dirty and Untidy 49.58 Moderate
Noise and Light Pollution 67.21 High
Water Pollution 58.47 Moderate
Dissatisfaction to Spend Time in the City 52.92 Moderate
Dissatisfaction with Green and Parks in the City 53.33 Moderate

Have a look at this video which shows how rainfall has caused traffic problems, flooding and other contamination issues in Barcelona.

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Image credit: phoneia.com, 20minutos.es
Graphic source: numbeo.com