Air pollution in La Palma forces several municipalities into confinement

Air pollution levels in La Palma have forced several municipalities on the island into confinement.

Air quality on the island of La Palm has deteriorated so badly over the past few days that residents in the areas of San Borondón, Marina Alta, Marina Baja and La Condesa nuclei have been forced into confinement, according to a report from diariodesevilla.

The direction of the Volcanic Risk Prevention Plan in the Canary Islands, Pevolca, last night (Friday, October 1), ordered the confinement of several population centres in the municipalities of El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane due to a worsening of the air quality due to the volcanic eruption of Cumbre Vieja.

The new confinement order was agreed as a consequence of a change in meteorological conditions that together with a thermal inversion prevents the dispersion of gases, keeping them at low levels of the atmosphere and closer to the ground- making them a danger to public health.

The scientific committee had recently warned that the meteorological conditions could favour a worsening of the air quality that until now had remained within allowed parameters.

In the latest development, the Cumbre Vieja eruption now has two new active mouths. They are about 15 meters from each other on the northwest face of the island and at a distance of about 600 meters from the crater.

About 6,000 people have so far been evacuated since the eruption began and are still not able to return home. More than 800 buildings including houses, churches and schools have been destroyed by the lava stream.

The volcano has thrown out 80 million cubic metres of molten rock, regional leader Angel Victor Torres said, doubling the amount expelled during La Palma’s last major eruption 50 years ago in half the time.

Read more:

Town councils on La Palma suspend the request for food and clothing

New La Palma volcanic lava stream forms to threaten more properties

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