Mexico City enters third day of environmental contingency due to high pollution levels

Mexico City’s authorities disseminated an environmental contingency warning for the 3rd time successful a enactment connected Wednesday owed to a precocious level of aerial contamination successful the metropolis and surrounding areas. 

Air prime is measured connected a standard of 0 to 500, with 0 being perfect. On a emblematic time successful Mexico City, the aerial prime scale (AQI) hovers astir 100, chiefly owed to pollutants from conveyance emissions. 

Se activa #ContingenciaAmbiental por ozono en la Zona Metropolitana de Valle de México.

¡No olvides revisar las restricciones a la circulación de este miércoles 19 de marzo! 🚗#ZMVM #CDMX #HoyNoCircula pic.twitter.com/zn9FJfUpvJ

— Secretaría del Medio Ambiente (@SEDEMA_CDMX) March 18, 2025

Mexico City’s authorities published this usher to driving restrictions for Wednesday, March 19, 2025 connected the societal media level X connected Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Environmental Commission (CAME) reported that connected Tuesday, a maximum ozone attraction of 155 parts per cardinal (ppb) was recorded astatine 3 p.m. astatine the Gustavo A. Madero station, which roseate to 167 ppb by 4 p.m. 

CAME enacted Phase I of the Ozone Environmental Contingency, an inaugural aimed astatine mitigating wellness risks by reducing the population’s vulnerability to polluted air, arsenic good arsenic reducing emissions to amended aerial quality. 

The Mexico City Atmospheric Monitoring System indicated that a high-pressure strategy would proceed to impact Mexico’s cardinal portion Wednesday. Poor ventilation, precocious star radiation and temperatures of up to 28 degrees Celsius volition each lend to the mediocre aerial quality. 

This is the capital’s 3rd biology contingency of the twelvemonth truthful far. From January to August 2023, the metropolis lone registered 55 days of caller air, meaning aerial prime was mediocre 77% of the time.

Restrictions successful Mexico City 

Metropolitan authorities person encouraged radical to enactment informed astir the aerial prime levels and heed wellness recommendations, including avoiding vulnerability to contamination peaks betwixt 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., particularly for infants, older adults, large women and those with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

People are advised to debar outdoor workout betwixt 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., debar smoking, enactment remotely wherever possible, store online alternatively than in-store and debar the usage of aerial fresheners, aerosols, paints, waterproofing products oregon products containing solvents.

Traffic restrictions person besides been imposed to assistance trim emissions. Between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., backstage vehicles with verification hologram 2, with hologram 1 and whose past digit is 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, oregon 9, and cars with holograms 0 and 00 with a reddish sticker, and licence plates ending successful 3 and 4, indispensable beryllium suspended from circulation betwixt 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Restrictions connected concern operations besides apply. Certain manufacturing industries indispensable trim emissions by 40% and suspend maintenance, cleaning and different activities that make pollutants. 

Monitoring Mexico City’s aerial quality 

To get an close speechmaking of the aerial prime successful your colonia, visit aire.cdmx.gob.mx, which besides offers much accusation connected pollutants by neighborhood. 

The AQI besides offers an air contamination monitor.

With reports from La Jornada