Tarlós issued the alert after the level of dust particles in the air exceeded the advisory level at eight measuring points on December 18th and six on December 19th.
He also asked that owners of vehicles falling in the most polluting categories should not use them until the air quality improves. In the past few days, temperatures in Budapest have been hovering a few degrees below 0 Celsius and there was practically no wind. The meteorological office said that air movement will pick up in the coming days, but it will not substantially alleviate the situation.
Tarlós also reminded that should pollution levels reach proper alert levels, under the capital’s new smog regulations a ban will be instituted on vehicles falling in the most polluting four categories and food delivery trucks will only be allowed on the streets between six and ten in the morning.
Besides the cold and calm weather, the smog situation was also due to the usual Christmas rush in the capital.
