Air pollution has significant impacts on health, the environment and the economy. The negative impact is particularly visible on the health of citizens, especially those who live in urban areas and near areas with intense traffic and industrial areas.
Experts say that the data obtained from daily measurements show that the air quality is not that good. They show that the periods most affected by air pollution are mainly during autumn to spring, as they also count the causes of pollution.
Mentor Shala, expert on air quality, for KosovaPress, shows the cases when there are exceedances of the maximum values allowed according to the European directive and according to the laws in force locally.
Shala shows that the period most affected by polluted air is from October to March, as the demand for heating from the citizens increases and at the same time the meteorological conditions affect this whole situation.
Shala says that the influencers of air pollution are emissions into the air that are constantly made such as power plants and transport, but also small combustions such as households, restaurants and bakeries.
With the recommendations of the World Health Organization, pollution is dangerous when the average of PM 10 particles exceeds 45 micrograms per cubic meter in 24 hours, while for PM 2.5 particles it should not be more than 15 micrograms per cubic meter.
According to the WHO, the combined effects of polluted outdoor air and polluted indoor air cause 6.7 million premature deaths per year.
In March 2022, the Assembly of Kosovo approved the Energy Strategy 2022-2031, based on which the country aims to generate 35 percent of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2031. In this way, the production in thermal power plants would decrease, and consequently the level of air pollution.
The Hydrometeorological Institute of Kosovo (HMIK) monitors air quality throughout the territory of Kosovo, through the State Network for Air Quality Monitoring, while the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo (NIPHK) issues recommendations for citizens in cases where the air quality is not good. /A.Shala/
