News in English     | 20.01.2020. 20:22 |

Approx. 3,300 people in BiH die prematurely each year due to air pollution

FENA Darinka Mitrović

SARAJEVO, January 20 (FENA) - Some 3,300 people die prematurely in Bosnia and Herzegovina each year as a result of exposure to air pollution and PM2.5 pollutants (fine particulate matter), the World Bank Air Quality Management report said.

Nearly one in every ten deaths a year in BiH is attributable to air pollution, it is the estimate from the latest report on air pollution management in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina experience high ambient concentrations of health-damaging fine particulate air pollution in Europe. This report is one in a series of three reports on air quality management in BiH, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.

The report examines the nature and magnitude of ambient air pollution (AAP) in BiH. It provides estimates of the health burden, and economic cost associated with the health impacts, of AAP, that is, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in BiH.

It also provides an analysis of the impacts of various sources of PM2.5 emissions on ambient air quality in BiH at a country level.

The institutional and policy framework for air quality management (AQM) in the country is examined, including contributions of other development institutions in supporting BiH's efforts to address air pollution.

Furthermore, this report presents experiences of selected countries that have applied different policy, investment, and technical interventions for air pollution, prevention, reduction, and abatement. Finally, it provides recommendations for reducing air pollution in BiH.

According to this report which was published in October 2019, the reasons for the alarmingly high levels of pollution over winter months are weaker policies for reducing air pollution, the use of solid fuels for heating, older cars (the average age of vehicles in Bosnia is 17 years), and the overall poor quality of liquid fuels.

“The region also houses seven of 10 coal-burning thermal power plants, which are among the biggest polluters in Europe,” the report said.

Some of their recommendations to resolving this issue are stronger cooperation, better organizational framework, implementation of rules, strengthening of the legal framework, collecting data and analysis, etc.

This report also contains estimates of economic costs of health care of BiH citizens affected by air pollution. The World Bank concluded that 8.2 percent of Bosnia's GDP is spent on treating diseases caused by air pollution.

Some of the recommendations in the study relate to strengthening the legal framework with a focus on concrete instruments for reducing pollution from mobile sources, large stationary sources and central heating systems. Also, a strong and effective environmental inspection for sources of air pollution is needed.

Regarding the organizational framework, it is recommended to strengthen the capacities of the competent agencies at all levels and ensure adequate staffing and budgeting. The need for strengthening cross-sectoral coordination between environmental institutions and other sectors, such as health, transport, industry, energy, urban development, was also stressed.

Among the recommendations in the report is the implementation of a pilot program to replace heating boilers that pollute with more efficient models, including Ecodesign boilers, as well as raising awareness and giving incentives for the use of alternative heating sources.

BiH also needs to revise standards for liquid fuels and to raise those standards; provide additional economic incentives to replace old vehicles with the stricter application of measures to reduce imports of old polluting vehicles, and introducing more stringent standards for the use of solid fuels for domestic heating.

(FENA) S. R.

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