Paoluçi: Polluted air drowns about 2800 inhabitants of North Macedonia every year

Polluted air drowns about 2800 inhabitants of the country every year, stated at the beginning of the conference in Skopje on air quality, the director of the World Bank for Kosovo and North Macedonia, Massimiliano Paoluçi.

He said that despite progress since the 1990s, air pollution is still high, especially in the winter months.

"People in Skopje and Tetovo are exposed to significantly higher levels of toxic particles (PM2.5), compared to people from Western Europe, Paoluçi added.

Healthy air, he stressed, is of crucial importance for sustainable development.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Izet Mejhiti, also spoke.

"Today together with the World Bank and the relevant institutions that have the authorities in this part for cleaner air, we participated in a presentation of the analysis and the extensive work of the World Bank, normally with our local institutions and with the living environment, in terms of analyzing the ways in which we have polluted air and how we can solve them. Special review is in the largest cities in urban areas, starting from Skopje, so this is also in line with our program that we brought a few days ago at the level of the Government, led by MMJPH, where all the institutions that have powers. The difference is that the analyzes of the World Bank and UNDP and other relevant institutions know exactly the reasons why we have such air and we work harder to remove those causes, not like in the past running only after the consequences and not knowing exactly what and how we will do it. I think this is a good basis", underlined Mejhiti in a statement to the media.

According to him, the first factor is that households and industry still use low-quality wood and other heating sources, especially in the winter season.

"Here is also urban transport and a number of other reasons. We have already approved and are working on a specific program where, in addition to gasification, gas cogeneration systems are also planned, we also plan to subsidize the return of citizens to central heating, especially in urban areas where it exists. Regarding gasification, I think this is one of the solutions that will direct citizens to less harmful or harmless means of heating during the season. Also related to urban transport, as we have started with electric buses, we plan to distribute another 100-120 in the Government for public transport in the municipalities, there are also private initiatives, the factory that these days will be launched for the processing of used oil and this to be 100 percent recycled and produced by the Republic of Macedonia. We also work on other initiatives and projects. It means, we are committed to use all the opportunities to have cleaner air", said Mejhiti.

Dame Dimitrovski, professor at the Faculty of Engineering - Skopje, explained that the program was prepared on the basis of long-term research and by "our scientific institutions and our partners who for a long time show who are polluters and how they affect pollution".

"The first project we faced is the identification of polluters and everyone taking their responsibility. Until now, polluters have been pointing fingers at each other, so households have said that industry pollutes, industry blames transport, transport blames a third party. This program includes all pollutants in the urban areas of Macedonia and has become a complex program of about 20 projects related to possible solutions. The program is dynamic and will grow further as there are new technological advances or as we have new results in the field. Included are the most programs for households that we want to include in the program, subsidize them to start using clean fuels, provide them with dry wood as a less polluting fuel and thus enable the air of housewives at home to be cleaner and healthier for their children in general", emphasized Dimitrovski.

As he announced, the plan is strict and fair inspection control for all industrial capacities.

"Also, we are planning strict and fair inspection control for all industrial facilities in the country, so that the emissions are public and we can all be sure that what is emitted is safe at the European level. As we established powerful scientific institutions in 1963, when we had a problem with the earthquake, now we want to support scientific institutions to deal with research on air purification or air pollution prevention, and we have foreseen such a program", he added. Dimitrovsky.

When asked by journalists if anyone has been punished in practice, he replied that now a special regulation is being made.

"So, it has been proven that until now the capacities have been weak or the commitment has been weak or the opportunities have been weak in the inspectorates. Now in practice, a powerful centralized body will be foreseen, which will deal with the inspection in the environment, which will be able to carry out checks in all objects, both vertically and horizontally, so that we do not hand over powers or to give to each. other possibilities for reasons - it is not my responsibility", warned Dimitrovski.

When asked if it is planned for inspectors to be more active during state holidays, because the air is more polluted during that period, the minister said that they will work intensively.
"We have already taken government measures and they are already on the ground. There are already penalties. But there is a need to increase the number of inspectors, because they are in small numbers to be spread throughout Macedonia", stated Mejhiti.