ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM IN BOGOTA CITY

 I think the most significant environmental problem in Bogota city is air pollution, It seems clear that the high altitude of Bogota contributes to the terrible air pollution problems in the city, It could be argued that almost a quarter of the entire population live in urban centers, like Bogota and most of the people have a vehicle or use one to travel around the city, these automobiles are considered responsible for the 70 percent of the city's air pollution problems.

It is unfortunate that people in this days still have to deal with the big, black plumes of smoke funneling out of the traditional, independent and disorganized buses, the traffic is so congested that it can take over an hour to travel ten kilometers, so it was crucial to implement the system of “Pico y Placa” (“peak and plate”); which determines whether an individual car can be on the road between the peak hours of 6:00 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 to 7:30 p.m., based on the vehicle’s license plate. Unfortunately, it would seem that not enough is being done; the dangerous concentrations of particulate matter, a major cause of concern in Bogota are able to penetrate the respiratory system, leading to various debilitating illnesses like asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory infections.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

It should be noted that Bogota’s Secretary of the Environment is working in a project where researchers will create an inventory on atmospheric emissions coming from mobile sources, such as private vehicles, fixed sources like industrial plants and gas stations, and emissions released naturally by vegetation, finally, and perhaps most importantly, the results will undoubtedly contribute to a much-needed improvement in the capital’s air quality, not to mention the well-being of its citizens. This is good news for anyone who is forced to breathe Bogota’s air.