Skopje Pollution

[Pelagonija]

Skopje, Macedonia: Skopje was gripped Friday for the second consecutive day by a cloud of polluted air and fog which practically paralysed the Macedonian capital and perturbed air traffic.

On the Skopje streets, numerous citizens were wearing masks in a bid to protect themselves while the visibility was poor.

According to a World Heath Organisation (WHO) study, published in early 2017, Skopje, which is located at the bottom of a valley, was among ten cities in Europe with the highest concentration of fine particles.

Skopje, like the four other Balkans cities listed among the 10, has an industry based on coal or lignite, used also for heating.

Last winter, the situation was critical for two weeks.

On Friday, the quantity of fine particles was 500 micrograms per cubic metre of air or ten times higher then recommended by the WHO.

Due to the pollution and fog, the authorities limited air traffic since Thursday afternoon, without numerous flights being cancelled or diverted.

Skopje's Social Democratic mayor Petro Silegov called the citizens to "change their habits, walk or use public transport."

macedonia pollution
Air pollution almost paralyzed the Macedonian capital. (AFP)
The measures undertaken by the authorities "cannot immediately yield results," he said.

On social networks the citizens were describing the situation as "really horrifying" and some called for a protest to be held Saturday under the slogan "Stand up for clean air."

On Facebook some parents said that they had decided "being fully aware" not to send their children to school until the air will be cleaner.

"The citizens are demanded not to breed until spring," a Skopje resident commented ironically.
macedonia pollution
Numerous flights were also being cancelled or diverted due to pollution. (AFP)
"The capital is more polluted than India or China," the right-wing main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party said in a statement.

"What ideas do you have for cleaner air in Macedonia?" the US embassy in Macedonia asked on Twitter.

"As our friends from US embassy are searching for ideas for the air pollution in Macedonia we want to help with a solution. Turkish Stream," replied the Russian embassy, referring to a gas pipeline through Turkey that would enable Balkan countries to get Russian gas.


(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

[Pelagonija]

I personally like the the idea of Turkish Stream. Russian gas would be good for the region both economically and politically.

Good tweet by the Russian embassy as against the delusional Americans.

[Starling]

Normally I'd be all for discussing environmental problems but this case feels like misdirection from current political issues and hearing about the US embassy telling Macedonia what it thinks on various matters that are none of its business is getting annoying.

I don't see what a gas pipeline is supposed to do about the pollution problem. You need to set up solar power and public transit that runs on electricity.

[Pelagonija]

Whilst I acknowledge I have very limited knowledge of environmental issues, is not gas a superior alternative to the status quo?

[Starling]

Pretty much anything's better than coal but if you're going to phase it out you might as well go straight for something environmentally sound rather than have to redo the process again later.

[Gocka]

That is exactly it.

Its quite silly to invest money to move form one dated and dirty technology to another dated and slightly less dirty technology.

If you are going to invest in revamping your energy grid you might as well go straight to the future.

Macedonia has a decent solar index especially the south, solar is a good choice, and most of Macedonia is at a high altitude and we have many mountain ranges which are great for wind. Throw in a little hydro electric and you can supply the whole country with basically free and clean energy. For crying out loud we have maybe 1.5 million residents and what a 100 factories in the whole country lol. Macedonia should already we 100% energy independent because the country is so damn small.

Originally Posted by Starling

Pretty much anything's better than coal but if you're going to phase it out you might as well go straight for something environmentally sound rather than have to redo the process again later.

[Starling]

You have to be careful about hydro, since dams wreak havoc on ecosystems due to drying out existing waterways, flooding places in the new basin and all the stuff that entails. aquatic species like this freshwater eel in Canada that migrates into the ocean seasonally can't live in a lot of its former range because the dams keep it from swimming back up. There was a place that lost 10 species of lizards due to dam flooding and the lower water level somewhere in the US is endangering an old species of fish that doesn't have much water left with optimal breeding temperature as well as dealing with invasive species.

From what I hear Macedonia has some really nice, relatively untouched rivers and lakes I'd hate to see ruined by that. At least air and solar power can be set up locally on a smaller scale if you don't want wind and solar fields everywhere. And yeah, Macedonia needs to be self-sufficient on this stuff.

[Niko777]

Originally Posted by Starling

I don't see what a gas pipeline is supposed to do about the pollution problem. You need to set up solar power and public transit that runs on electricity.

Most of the pollution is being caused by wood burning stoves which Macedonians use to heat their homes. Many can't even afford wood, so they end up burning tires, old furniture, and other garbage which makes the pollution even worst. A gas pipeline would give them access to a much cleaner heating alternative.

[Gocka]

Macedonia has almost no emissions standards and Skopje has way too many cars, most of which have no emissions control system or they are not functioning. Skopje also has a lot of factories around it which are also not controlled. Add in the fact that the topography makes it worse and the winter use of wood stoves is more like the feather that tipped the stack over, rather than the cause of the problem.

Gas might help, but why make another country rich, when you can be energy independent while promoting your own economy by doing it. For a small country surrounded by wolves, being domestically sustained is also a security concern.

Originally Posted by Niko777

Most of the pollution is being caused by wood burning stoves which Macedonians use to heat their homes. Many can't even afford wood, so they end up burning tires, old furniture, and other garbage which makes the pollution even worst. A gas pipeline would give them access to a much cleaner heating alternative.