Joint approach needed to Po Valley pollution - Maione

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 20 - A common approach is needed to tackle the problem of air pollution in the Po Valley and to this end a steering committee representing the four affected regions is to be convened in the coming days, Lombardy regional environment councillor Giorgio Maione said on Tuesday.
    "In the next few days we will ask for a steering committee on air quality in the Po basin to be convened in order to calibrate joint actions," Maione told ANSA.
    Lombardy is working with "Veneto, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna as a system on the territorial actions to be implemented," he added.
    "Environmental issues do not adhere to the geographical boundaries of the regions and it is therefore necessary to pursue common policies," insisted Maione.
    The four northern regions in the Po Valley are grappling with a severe air pollution problem that has seen levels of fine particles exceed the legal threshold in several places in recent days. (ANSA).