Long-term measures required against air pollution

Part of them through petitions tend to force authorities to take urgent measures on this unresolved problem for years. The non-governmental organisation Eco-Svest requires Skopje City and the Environment Ministry to have the health of citizens high priority.

Among the 10 measures proposed against pollution are:

- Stop using heating coals in households.

- Conspiracy of moving vehicles to central parts of the city (partly or entirely)

- Enhancing public transportation and adding new lines of public transportation.

- Convincing construction and industrial activities during wintertime

NGOs say that in the event of not taking adequate measures, the death toll will continue to rise as a result of polluted air. Despite numerous civil sector criticisms and numerous citizens' complaints, the head of Skopje says measures are being undertaken and measures are being taken, but it is impossible to overcome the pollution problem overnight.

The most wrong way to deal with pollution is to think that something can be taken and immediately solve the problem. The problem with air pollution is the problem that has been created for years ago because of poor strategies and bad planning in the city. We have to target all the pollution sources that we've made. Not by chance the city of Skopje has begun buying ecological buses, which next year will drive into the city, and not by chance the City of Skopje has undertaken ecological vehicle labels, because transport contributes about 22 percent to air pollution”, said Petre Shilegov, mayor of Skopje City, broadcast Alsat M.

For days Macedonia marks alarming air pollution figures, where the most polluted cities result in Skopje, Tetovo and the Monastery. Three million people each year die from chronic respiratory diseases, while 400 million people worldwide suffer from chronic respiratory diseases. The principal cause is the high level of air pollution.