MEXICO

 
Published: Tuesday 29 February 2000

For long, Mexico City has been considered one of the most polluted cities in the world. But in the past three years the city has made considerable progress in cleaning up its air, said Alejandro Encinas Rodriguez, Mexico City secretary of environment.

The city has reduced average ozone levels from 189 points to 145 points on the overall air quality index, known as the Imeca, Rodriguez said.

During the 1990s, Mexico spent at least us $5 billion to clean up the capital's air. Anti-air pollution measures included producing cleaner gasoline, barring most car owners from driving one day a week, closing an oil refinery in Mexico City, planting new trees and replacing diesel buses to run on clean fuel.

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