Air pollution, major unresolved problem in 2018

The coal as fuel, thermoelectrics, industrial complexes, and old cars are the main cause of air pollution, especially in Pristina, where there is greater frequency.

EU deputy chief of co-operation in the EU Office, Libor Chlad, has expressed concerns about air quality in the capital.

I have been in Kosovo for four years, and when I walk in Pristina I am not very satisfied with air quality, waste management and similar things”, he said.

Silent in the face of this problem has not even the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Fatmir Matoshi, who has said this problem has always existed, but has not been a topic of discussion.

Among the measures taken by the ministry, Matoshi has cited the ban on illegal selling coal and the seizure of 14 trucks that sold illegal coal in Pristina, as well as surrounding municipalities.

Matoshi for Kosovo Press has also unveiled the promise of 2019.

And we've wanted this problem to be known for citizens, to know the risk of polluted air, and the contribution that any citizen can make to improving air quality in the country. We've taken some concrete steps, we've asked through tax force from the Ministry of Education first during the summer to interrupt the use of coal in schools, this decision has been made. Furthermore, we have asked the Government of Kosovo to interrupt using coal as fuel in all public institutions throughout the Republic of Kosovo, and this country is now in power for a month. What I'm sure is that conditions are being created everywhere so that during 2019 there will be no coal use in any public institution” in the coming season, he said.

Among the most problematic cities in polluted air is Obiliki.

Residents of this municipality complain of polluted air, whose condition according to them is heavier than in other regions.

For Hajrush Currin from Mazgit, the problem becomes greater because KEK often stops filters, which greatly increases the air pollution rate.

And the environment is in catastrophic condition. Why is he in catastrophic, but you see him yourself. Especially this season has a lot of fog and the state of health is not good for citizens, who are doing it in Pristina, air pollution in Obilic is more catastrophic than in Pristina and other regions. 0:50 Mass must be undertaken, filtering. That there are often times when they are removing their filters in the evening. The 1-2 hours they're taking off the filter, it's affecting right now. It's affecting that dust, that layer”, he added.

While citizen Nadire Krasniqi shows that contaminated air is also presenting trouble for breathing, causing health problems.

The air is getting in the way of us, but what it did to me, from breathing, bronze, tiredness, in all air, it showed us.

In order to improve air in the capital, measures, such as the ban on coal use and the restriction on driving, have sometimes been taken.

Environmentalist Labinot Salihu warns that preventative measures against air - polluting factors must be taken before the risk of pollution is at an animal level to pose a health threat to citizens.

“We can only complain or identify the measures we did not take when needed. Also, it should be highlighted that this time again, institutions, especially at the central level, have failed to draft implementable policies in terms of improving air pollution, especially in major cities”, he has said of Kosovas.

According to him, it is good for Government and municipalities to find alternatives to expanding the heating network, offering citizens more friendly forms for the environment.

With the ban on coal, citizens should be given an alternative to heating. The best had to be, in fact, the municipality of Pristina is planning that in the coming years, it will expand the central heating network and that will be the best long-term solution. But that takes time. Until then, the Government of Kosovo, along with municipalities, must find alternative citizens' heating. It could be through subventional heating policies through the diapers and more friendly forms for the”, he said.

According to the UN, air pollution causes the deaths of 7 million people annually. While O BSH revealed that as a result of air pollution annually, some 600 thousand children die.