Air pollution in Skopje, North Macedonia

Problems

• Due to air pollution, Skopje’s Lisiche very dangerous to live in

  Skopje is an industrial city. It has a population of 700,000 and is home to many factories built during the communist regime when environmental standards were not taken into account. Today, the city's industrial plants operate without the necessary controls to meet standards. According to eco-activists, only a few factories have 24-hour monitoring systems. Thus, the capital of Northern Macedonia found itself among the ten cities in the world with the most polluted air.
  
  The city authorities turn a blind eye to the industry, the activities of this sphere are largely unregulated and uncontrolled. Only a few enterprises have 24-hour monitoring systems installed. But many enterprises are not monitored regularly, we can say that industry is not monitored at all.

• Geographic features of the city's location

  Skopje is located in a valley and is surrounded by mountains, which means that there is not much air circulation. Especially during the winter, when there is a temperature inversion and all the pollutants that industry, houses, and cars generate cannot leave the valley. The space begins to fill up and becomes like a boiling boiler. The situation then worsens until it rains or the wind blows to clear the air.

• European Union reaction

  The EU is closely following the air pollution problem in Skopje. Several situation reports point out that the laws necessary to achieve the goals of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans are not being applied there. There are laws in the country, but they are not enforced. Some laws are not in line with reality and they need to be changed to improve. There is a systemic problem - there are people who are not doing their jobs correctly and certainly are not enforcing the laws that are in place, or not even trying to improve them. The political parties on both the left and right spectrum that have been in power for the past two decades have failed to deal with this problem. The only hope for citizens today is that the EU accession negotiations will force political leaders to act.

• Levels of fine particulate matter in the city

  According to the Swiss company IQAir, PM10, and PM2.5, fine particulate matter levels are about 28 times the WHO safety threshold. And it is palpable on the streets of the capital city. Residents of the city say that the increased concentration of fine particles in the air makes their noses itchy, they have to wear a mask regularly, and it is impossible to leave the house, only if necessary. There is a very unpleasant smell in the city. Many residents experience problems, complain of coughs, and catch colds.

• Citizens' Reaction

  Hundreds of Skopje residents took part in a protest march demanding that the authorities take action against air pollution in the Macedonian capital, which is dozens of times higher than the permitted norm. According to the protesters, the government of Skopje should abandon ambitious and costly projects, and use all available funds to solve the problem of smog. Concerned citizens voiced demands for the introduction of even and odd numbered car traffic, free travel on public transport, and distribution of bicycles and firewood for low-income citizens who use non-ecological and hazardous materials for heating.

• Causes of toxic smog

  Causes of toxic smog include the use of wood-burning stoves, the burning of fuel oil and coal during the heating season, automobile exhaust, and industrial emissions. Industrial emissions, vehicle exhausts, and smoke from home heating cause more than 1,200 deaths a year, according to the Republic's Institute of Public Health. The Macedonian Ministry of Health has already issued a recommendation to citizens to refrain from using cars unless necessary and to avoid other materials than wood and coal for heating. 
  Skopje regularly appears in the anti-rating of European cities with the unfavorable environmental situation. According to IQAir, Skopje became the third most polluted city in the world after Bishkek and Lahore.