Romania’s Environmental Guard targets Bucharest City Hall with inspection due to air pollution
The Romanian Environmental Guard announced a new inspection at the Bucharest City Hall on Wednesday, March 25, to verify the measures taken to reduce air pollution, given high PM2.5 and PM10 indicator values frequently recorded.
Specialists believe that one of the potential causes of pollution is the anti-skid material used during the winter on roads, while another is construction sites.
“The repeated exceedances of PM2.5 and PM10 values, reported by stations part of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network, have triggered a new series of field inspections in the capital, carried out by the Bucharest Municipality Commissariat of the National Environmental Guard, starting from March 16, 2026, to identify pollution sources and reduce the impact on the population,” the Environmental Guard stated on Facebook.
According to the same source, checks showed that one potential cause of pollution is the anti-skid material used during the cold season, which is left on the roadway and carried into the air by traffic, especially on major boulevards, near curbs, and tram lines.
“The phenomenon was amplified by the lack of precipitation and by high temperatures, which favor the resuspension of particles,” the Environmental Guard also stated.
At the same time, inspections targeted major construction sites, from infrastructure works and tram line rehabilitation, to construction, demolitions, and the Subway Line 6 project.
“In numerous cases, violations of air quality legislation were found: lack of surface wetting, absence of wheel-washing ramps, improper storage of materials, and uncovered transport of waste,” according to the same source.
In total, the Environmental Guard checked 48 construction sites and applied 42 fines totaling RON 800,000 (EUR 156,900).
“At the same time, the National Environmental Guard checked all sector city halls and ordered, through inspection reports, urgent intervention measures by sanitation services to remove pulverulent material. We appreciate the prompt implementation of the measures by local authorities. As a result, mechanized vacuuming actions (washing and brushing of roadways) of main arteries and sidewalks have been initiated,” the Environmental Guard announced.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)
