Apr 18 - Air Quality Concerns: GSD Expresses “Dismay”
The GSD says it has expressed “dismay” at the opinion on Gibraltar’s air quality given in the Gibraltar Chronicle by German expert Dr Axel Friedrich.
The party says that, while he was only in Gibraltar briefly, the sampling he conducted indicated that the levels of air pollution were “many times higher than was acceptable under international standards” and he further indicated in his interview that the conditions under which he took the readings were favourable and that in the summer months, air pollution was "likely to be even worse".
GSD Environment spokesman Trevor Hammond MP said: “I have been raising concerns regarding air quality and its measurement in parliament since being elected. It’s a very serious matter which directly affects the health of our community and the Government need to start being honest about it starting with the way they measure air quality. Independent recording consistently indicates pollution levels way in excess of acceptable limits yet Government figures rarely give a hint of this.
“The Government has taken virtually no steps and in many instances has made the problem worse. Selling the old buses cheaply to a local bus company without imposing restrictions on emissions, not using the best possible technology for the new power station should it have to burn diesel, the volume of construction meaning the town area is constantly filled with lorries belching smoke, not conducting rigourous emissions testing of vehicles undergoing MOT’s, not even showing any particular enthusiasm about making the dock yard provide shore power to ships in the docks as a condition of the new lease agreement.
“When it comes to the issue of air quality the situation has significantly deteriorated under the GSLP administration and despite their spin to the contrary, whenever independent sampling is conducted, whether it be by the World Health Organisation or by the likes of Dr Friedrich, their failure is exposed for all to see.”
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