By Hanadi Watfa
MADRID, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- Pollution in Spain had become an issue of grave concern for citizens who are looking into means to develop the quality of their lives and health.
In 2015, Spain came six within the EU region in deaths related to pollution.
Pollution in the country reached around 25 percent.
The European Environmental Agency (EEA) also revealed that around 15 Spaniards were victims of air pollution especially in the capital Madrid and the city of Barcelona.
Statistics by the Spanish government between 2015 and 2017 revealed that thousands of death were connected to pollution.
Last November, the Spanish government had introduced policies to reduce the number of cars running on diesel or regular fuel to a minimum by 2040. The policies would aim at prohibiting such vehicle from entering cities by 2050.
On November 30, the Municipality of Madrid issued some restrictions on vehicle to lower their numbers in the capital.
As an alternative to private transportation, the government was encouraging citizens to use sustainable transportation, which consists of networks of various environmental friendly methods to reduce pollution.
Fines will be introduced for violators by next March.
Sustainable public transportation serves around 25,000 commuters on a daily basis while many citizens are thinking about switching to electrical cars to avoid fines.
Publically rented bicycles and electrical cars have also become more prominent recently. The first fleet of 350 public-use electrical vehicles was launched in 2015 and in 2018, there are thousands of cars in service.
The presence of lanes serving bicycles and electrical scooters have also increased in various citizens such as Barcelona, Valencia, and others.
While there are various steps taken to reduce pollution in Spain, it is very important to note that the percentage of those using sustainable transportation vary between 45 and 94 percent according numerous conducted by state and academic outlets.
Some institutes say that around 58 percent of Spaniards are willing to sell their regular cars in exchange to electrical ones and if the number was true then Spain is heading in the right direction concerning the reduction of pollution. (end) hnd.gta