in: http://ajidanha.blogspot.pt

The survey “Air quality in Vila Velha de Ródão” was developed in order to understand what is the opinion of the inhabitants of Vila Velha on the quality of air they breathe and how this issue affects their day to day and / or the development of the region. It was applied to 58 people living in Vila Velha de Ródão. 58 surveys completed anonymously were accounted for and validated.

One goal of the survey is to ascertain whether the complaints about poor air quality are the opinion of most people, or if this issue only bothers some people. Thus, we note that none of the respondents rate the air quality as “good” or “very good”, with a clear majority (93%) pointing to “bad” (41%) or “very poor” (52% .) Only 7% of respondents considered “reasonable.”

To the question “How is that air quality affects your daily life?”, the inhabitants report feeling uncomfortable with the smell (91%), having difficulties in airing the houses (58%), complaining of dirt and/or the stench of their cars (72%), their clothing (66%), the balconies and patios (72%) and more than half say they have difficulty breathing or coughing (57%).

Following this complaint, it is noted that all respondents consider the possibility that poor air quality could bring harm to health (74%), although some show some doubts (19%).

When asked if they ever complained about the characteristics of the air in the region, we observed that 59% of respondents answered negatively and 34% say they have already complained. Those who complained did it to various entities: Town Hall (35%), GNR-SEPNA (30%), Ministry of Environment (17%), Line SOS Environment and Territory (17%) and Health Centre (9%).

To address this situation, a significant number of respondents trust the Ministry of Environment (85%) and Town Hall (58%). However, 27% indicates the GNR-SEPNA and 19% the Health Centre. While recognizing the responsibility of these institutions in solving the problem, respondents acknowledge the importance and necessity of their role as citizens: beyond organizing petitions (70%), pointing to other forms of participation such as complaining (69%) or public demonstrations of displeasure (59%).

When respondents are faced with the possibility of poor air quality conditioning local development, a large majority believes that this problem affects tourism (80%), the determination of the population (70%) and contaminates the food produced by the population (69%). Still, there are some people who are of the opinion that this is a “necessary evil” (26%).