Monitoring without action

The drop in temperatures has brought back the increase in the level of air pollution in Kosovo. The neglect of the issue of air pollution by institutions is highlighted this year by the alarming air quality statistics. They show a very disturbing level of pollution, especially in urban areas such as Prishtina, Fushë-Kosova, Obiliqi and Mitrovica. The air quality index, measured by the American Embassy in Pristina, during this week, was at the "unhealthy" level.

The installation of four monitors in the capital, where citizens can see the level of air pollution, has provoked reactions last week. These monitors installed in four different locations are part of JICA's technical cooperation project, "Capacity development project for air pollution control in the Republic of Kosovo", worth 4 million euros, writes Koha Ditore.

Citizens have welcomed the monitors, but have also requested concrete measures to reduce pollution. "It would be better to create green spaces, to be careful of the gases emitted by the kerres and from Obiliqi, but they only want to deceive the people, because this means nothing. You only see the pollution, the dust does its job", said a citizen of Pristina to KTV.

Even the experts of environmental issues have estimated that the great concentration of activities only in monitoring and reporting without reaction activity does not give effect. The establishment of task forces by the Government to deal with the issue of polluted air, according to them, did not produce tangible results except for media noise, justification of failures and budget spending.

Part of the burden of guilt for inaction in this direction is also placed on the environmental inspectors and the courts, which, according to them, are very inert and powerless, especially against large polluters, such as: KEKu, "Ferroniceli", "SharrCemi", etc. . Due to inaction, many citizens of the country suffer from contaminated air. The main contributors to pollution, according to Arif Krasniqi, chairman of the Ecological Party, are the thermal power plants in Kastriot, the many cars that circulate in the capital, which are very old, as well as the heating of educational facilities and houses, which have the only source of heat. wood and coal of pretty poor quality. He said that citizens inhale more dust than air in their bodies.

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"This is a horror and it is an ecological crime of its own kind. In spite of all these reactions, both from the Eco Movement as well as from citizens and environmental NGOs and civil society, no measures have been taken at all, even these days the air pollution is greater than elsewhere. I think that despite the outgoing Government, this irresponsibility will not have to happen", he emphasized.

Power plants, champions of pollution

Kosovo ranks fifth in the world in terms of lignite reserves. But its reliance on coal for electricity production has had negative effects. According to local and international analyses, the main source of pollution in Kosovo is the Kosovo Energy Corporation with its two coal-fired power plants located in Obiliq and which are active throughout the year. The Institute for Development Policy (INDEP) in its analysis, shows that these power plants continuously contribute to the exposure of the population to CO2, SO2, NO2, O3, PB (lead), dust, smoke, diovins and PM.

The pollution caused by these power plants affects a wide area. Apart from Obiliq, Prishtina and Fushë-Kosova also suffer from them. On September 2 of this year, a black smoke came out of one of the chimneys of the KEK thermal power plant, spreading a thin uniform cloud over the city that had worried many citizens. The outgoing Minister of Economic Development, Valdrin Lluka, clarified that it is about cleaning the boiler of block A3, which had been under repair for 4 months, and after the repair is finished and before the start of the work, the cleaning must be done, which as he said it lasts for 4 days with about 3 hours of daylight. "It is an inevitable process for the outdated technology of this power plant", said Lluka.

The chimneys of the thermal power plant "Kosova A" have started to smoke since 1962, when the first block of five was erected, three of which are out of order. Following international pressure to end the enormous pollution of this dinosaur, authorities have pledged to close it by 2017. This is not done, the cause of the gap between the demand for electricity and what is produced. Therefore, its closure is now related to the time when the "New Kosova" will start work, a power plant that is still in question if it will be done. This is because the two winning parties of the October 6 elections, Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo, have said that the project for "New Kosovo" will not be realized based on the agreement signed by the Haradinaj Government.

Meanwhile, on the day when the Assembly was dissolved, the agreement for IPA funds was approved, which provides for the support of the KEK project in the amount of 76 million euros for the replacement of electrofilters for the "Kosova B" thermal power plant. However, the implementation of this project is expected to start only after 6 months, said the director of this power plant, Luigj Imeri.

According to him, during the last ten years, KEK has invested about 60 million euros for the advancement of the living environment through the replacement of electrofilters in the two already outdated thermal power plants, "Kosova A" and "Kosova B", which produce almost 98 percent of energy produced in Kosovo.

In this way, with frequent patches, the old power plant is kept alive, which, in addition to the lights, has also given Kosovo a black record. The non-profit organization Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), whose main concern is the impact of the environment on health, two years ago issued the report: "The unpaid health bill - How coal-fired power plants are making us sick in the Western Balkans". It talks about the pollution that comes from the power plants in Kosovo.

"The emitted pollutants, the most harmful to health, are PM2.5 particles. 'Kosova A' and 'Kosova B' are the biggest emitters in Europe with a total of 7.500 tons of PM2.5 per year. These units emit four times more PM2.5 than most coal-fired power plants in the Balkans, and the emissions record is held by Unit 5 of the 'Kosova A' power plant, which emits nine times more PM2.5 than the average Balkan power plant." , the report says. "The thermal power plant 'Kosova B' is one of the largest emitters of NOx gases in the Balkans, with 14.520 tons per year. The power plant emits three times more NOx than the average power plant in the Balkans".

Industries, major contributors to pollution

According to a research done by the World Bank, the population of the Mitrovica area is also exposed to dust containing lead, local products with high levels of lead and other exposures. Because of this, about 25 percent of children in Mitrovica in 2002 had blood lead levels above the threshold of 10 micrograms per deciliter.

In addition to Mitrovica and Zveçan, environmental problems, which have "Trepça" as their source, also affect Leposaviq. Meanwhile, a large black hill with zinc and iron remains is on the outskirts of Drenas, very close to the "Ferroniceli" metallurgical complex. According to the data of AMMK, the landfill has an area of ​​about 24 hectares, while the area of ​​impact is twice as large. A light breeze carries away the surface dust and the fine particles that fly are given a sun shine.

Some studies say that they constitute heavy metals and are harmful to health, if absorbed by the body. In addition to being taken through breathing, they also enter the body through water or food, since during rainfall the water that passes through the slag is directly connected to the vegetation and with deeper migration, even with the well water that the residents use for drinking and irrigation. The biggest polluter in the Municipality of Han i Elez is considered to be "SharrCem".

According to the chairman of the Ecological Party, Arif Krasniqi, Mitrovica, while the industries of this municipality and the "Trepça" combine with other units were in operation, was the most polluted municipality after Prishtina. But this, according to him, has now changed. Now the pollution, according to him, comes from the waste of ores deposited for years, from which materials are released, which are thrown by the strong winds into the air, but are also the cause of a continuous radiation that the citizens of Mitrovica face.

As for the Han of Elez, according to Krasniqi, air pollution mainly occurs from the cement factory - Sharr Cem, which continues to be a big polluter, even though there is a tendency to improve with quality filters, but this will always be number one problem for air pollution.

According to Krasniqi, other municipalities also face air pollution from stone crushers, which are in large numbers and besides causing air pollution, they also pollute with noise. "This phenomenon is present almost in every corner of Kosovo. Their work, in most cases, is carried out illegally, without adequate permission, therefore they do not adhere to adequate rules for this business. Adequate controls and the undertaking of other measures are missing", Krasniqi asserted.

According to MESP, during the period January-September 2019, there were no exceedances of the average monthly values ​​for any parameter, with the exception of the exceedances recorded for ozone, during the months of August and September. But the pollution value has increased in October.

"During the month of October 2019, daily values ​​were exceeded mainly for the PM10 and PM 2.5 parameters, including on October 27 and 28, at the monitoring stations in Pristina (IHMK and Rilindja), Drenas and Prizren. For the PM10 parameter, exceedances of daily averages were also recorded at the measuring stations in Obiliq on October 20 and 21, while for the PM2.5 parameter, exceedances were recorded at the Obiliq station on the 19,20, 21 and 19,20,21, in Dardhishte on the 22, 22 , XNUMX and XNUMX, while at the measuring station in Palaj on the XNUMXnd", says the Ministry's response.

Contaminated air endangers health

The common denominator of all industrial pollutants is endangering the health of the population exposed to them. The National Institute of Public Health told the newspaper that the health consequences depend on the type of pollutant, its dose, the duration of exposure and the route of their penetration into the body - air, water, food. The most sensitive categories, according to the Institute, are the elderly, children, the chronically ill, the pregnant, the poor and people with compromised immunity.

In this institute, they do not even have data on mortality as a result of pollution. Doctor Antigona Ukëhaxhaj, Public Health specialist, who works at this institute, said that the short-term effects of air pollution from particles, according to many data, lead us to an increase in the number of patients with bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lungs in advanced ages, increased number of hospital admissions from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, shortening of life and increased mortality rate.

As for which residents are exposed so far, the municipalities with the worst situation according to measurements made by the Hydrometeorological Institute were: Prishtina, Obiliqi, Drenasi, Fushë-Kosova and Gjilani.

Ukëhaxhaj has shown that during the winter season, the increased number of patients in the University Clinical Hospital Service and in regional hospitals is evident, as well as the increase in the number of visits to family medicine centers in the municipalities, with special emphasis on those that have worse air quality.

Meanwhile, the pulmonologist at the Lung Clinic at KKUK, Skënder Baca, said that the number of people affected by lung diseases has increased precisely because of the polluted environment. According to him, 3 million people die from this disease in the world only within a year, while in Kosovo this number goes up to 200 patients.

A World Bank report based on substantial scientific research demonstrating the public health impacts of air pollution and in particular PM particles, which are among the causes of chronic respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and changes chronic pathological), lung cancer, chronic cardiovascular diseases and intrauterine growth retardation.

"Based on exposure coefficients m/re a - gim, annual concentrations of PM in ambient air, and data on the exposed population, air pollution in urban areas in Kosovo is estimated to cause 835 premature deaths, 310 new cases of chronic bronchitis, 600 hospitalizations and 11.600 emergency room visits," the study states. "These estimated cases are usually higher than the number of registered patients with respiratory diseases, since not all people with respiratory symptoms go to the doctor or the hospital".

This also has a high economic cost. It appears as a result of the health effects of air pollution and, according to the World Bank, in Kosovo varies from 37 to 158 million euros per year.

Isme Humolli, from the World Health Organization, said that contaminated air affects all regions of the world, unfortunately the most affected are the population of countries with low socio-economic conditions.

According to the World Health Organization, 97 percent of countries with low socio-economic conditions and cities with a population of more than 100 thousand inhabitants, unfortunately do not meet the WHO criteria for quality air and are characterized by contaminated air, in the most developed countries this percentage drops to 49 percent. "As far as Kosovo is concerned, we have to face the fact that the quality of life has deteriorated due to the continuous permanent degradation of the environment, the presence of industrial pollutants, as well as the weak waste management system", said Humolli.

According to her, until today environmental problems have not been a priority in Kosovo, because there have been big problems, such as the economy, poverty and unemployment. Not dealing with environmental problems, life expectancy in Kosovo, according to her, is 11 years lower than in other European countries.

Meanwhile, Dafina Muçaj from UNICEF talks about the impact of polluted air on children's growth and brain development. "The polluted air affects children a lot because they have a period of rapid brain development, also, they consume more food, water and air per unit of body weight compared to adults. Any exposure of the child to the outside environment has a staggering impact on the development of the child's brain," she said. According to her, in Pristina births occur more during the months when the air is not very polluted, but this shows that pregnant women are exposed during the winter months when the air is very polluted.

Pollution from heating

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Heating is also a contributor to air pollution. Until last year, the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) gave each of its approximately 5 workers a truckload of coal, which is extracted from the mine where the power plants are supplied, a quantity that many of them sold. But this was stopped last year, after a Government decision. However, the newspaper has reported on the re-opening of illegal mining in Zhilivodë, a village in Vushtrri bordering Obiliq, where for tens of years many residents have made a living from the coal they extract from the underground of their properties and then sell it. Over 200 tons of coal are used every year for other purposes, besides the production of electricity.

A World Bank study states that households consume approximately 48 percent of all energy in Kosovo, and that 45 percent of this energy consumption comes from burning wood. And according to another study, carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), households consume 2.054.420 cubic meters of wood per year. The FAO has also estimated that the consumption of wood by the tourism sector, which means their burning by restaurants, hotels, bakeries and fast-foods, is 183.321 cubic meters of wood per year.

The Institute for Development Policy (INDEP), in a study published in June of this year, laid out the need for municipalities to establish stricter control of household heating, employing more inspectors, prohibiting the burning of lignite in stoves, by fining the burning of coal and waste, as well as investing in renewable energy and district heating systems. The cost of air pollution, to which the burning of wood and coal also contributes, is calculated there. "In total, premature deaths and chronic diseases caused by coal pollution in the Western Balkans cost both health and economic systems somewhere between 6.1 and 11.5 billion euros," the study says. "In Kosovo, the cost of health effects caused by air pollution in urban areas has an impact that is thought to range from 37 to 158 million euros per year, equal to 0.89 to 3.76 percent of the country's GDP," it says. in study.

Based on the analysis of the data of the Environmental Protection Agency of Kosovo (AMMK), in Pristina the air is "unhealthy" 50 percent of the time, "very unhealthy" 20 percent of the time and "dangerous" in 5 percent of the time.

In one of its studies, the World Bank has listed the wood and lignite used for heating houses as the second source of pollution. He listed it, right after the power plants. There he argued that "during the winter, the levels of PM10 and PM2.5 (harmful particles that are created by the burning process vj) are much higher than in other periods of the year".

Based on data published by the Municipality of Pristina, it measures the air in six different neighborhoods: "Bregu i Diellit", "Dodona", "Dardania", "Ulpiana", "Cendra (to the square)" and "Kodra e To the brave". The neighborhoods "Dardania" and "Kodra e Trimave" turn out to be the most polluted. The main causes of this air pollution, according to official data, are assumed to be the burning of fuels or road transport, since these neighborhoods represent one of the most frequented entrances to the capital from other municipalities.

Old cars pollute as much as power plants

Road transport also contributes to pollution. According to various data, some 40 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in urban areas. This also affects global warming and has negative effects on health. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a toxic gas that is also mainly released from the burning of fuels. It has pronounced effects on the lungs, but also on other organs such as the liver and spleen.

Dust particles PM10 and PM2.5 are concentrations of suspended mass in the air and have the greatest concentration especially in localities with heavy traffic. A large number of studies show short-term effects on the cardiovascular system. Long-term effects are related to the attack on the respiratory system and the reduction of immunity.

Prishtina is one of the settlements with the largest traffic of vehicles. Nearly 135 cars entered every day. Their greatest attendance is in the time interval 7:00 to 19:00.

Vehicles with a high rate of depreciation are one of the reasons why Prishtina, from late autumn to early spring, is ranked as the most polluted capital in the world, competing with Beijing. Last year, according to the "Air Quality Index", Prishtina often stood in the first place for pollution, where the air value reached 262 or "very unhealthy". Right after Pristina, there are two Chinese cities in the highest level of pollution. While, according to this week's data, the air in the capital is worth up to 104, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The meters that have been placed in several neighborhoods of Pristina, even though they were not functional until recently and their data were not accurate according to the National Audit Office, but they show that the most attacked neighborhood is the one where the vehicles have the most frequent big - "Dardania". This neighborhood has been selected to place an air quality meter, as it borders the "Bill Clinton" boulevard, which is the gateway for vehicles entering the capital from about half of Kosovo: the region of Mitrovica, Prizren, Peja and the region of Gjakova. Even the cities all over Kosovo have a high turnover of vehicles.

Even in the capital, they don't know about the approximate contribution that vehicles have to air pollution. But in order to assess the level of pollution and its causes, a project is being developed with the Japanese organization for international cooperation, JICA, which is doing detailed studies on all the causes that affect air pollution in Pristina, especially during winter season. Only after the finalization, according to the authorities in the capital, will it be known what percentage of pollution comes from road transport vehicles.

Tafe Veselaj, who is the leader of the Environmental Monitoring Sector at the Environmental Protection Agency, told the newspaper a few days ago that the average age of cars circulating in Kosovo is over 15-18 years. This is more than twice the average age of vehicles in circulation in EU countries.

"Cars with more than 250 kilometers on them release four times more gases than new ones. This makes transport one of the biggest contributors to air pollution in Kosovo, next to pollution from industry", said Veselaj.

According to an analysis of government policies for the import, registration and control of cars by the GAP Institute, carried out in 2015, it turns out that cars cause pollution as much as Kosovo's power plants, which emit about 6.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

"According to a simple calculation, this number is of the same order of magnitude as that emitted by cars", says the GAP study.

The main causes that produce this level of pollution from vehicles are related to their age, inadequate technical control at technical control centers, as well as the quality of fuel.

The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, in 2016, issued an administrative instruction on the permitted rates of air emissions from mobile sources of pollution.

This directive promotes the standards set in the reference legislation of the EU institutions regarding the emission of gases from light passenger vehicles and light passenger vehicles, and commercial vehicles. Among them are the "Euro" standards, which the EU has started to apply for almost three decades, when it put into effect the "Euro 0" standard, to continue until the last standard of 2014, that " Euro 6". The higher the "Euro" standard, the smaller the amount of gas emissions. This instruction defines the obligations of vehicle users, the control of the level of emissions in the air during the technical inspection of the vehicle, the requirements for imported vehicles, the permitted rates of emissions in the air from vehicles in circulation, the assessment of the technical condition of the vehicle, the level of values of pollutants discharged from vehicles, vehicles in use, and also ways of controlling air emissions from vehicles. However, these requirements listed in this document have not been implemented so far.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Development Policy (INDEP) has asked the next Government to impose an excise tax on oil (diesel), since according to the director of this Institute, Burim Ejupi, most cars in Kosovo burn oil and it is known that oil is the most polluting bigger than gasoline. "There are some immediate measures that will soften the situation even a little. Together with you and our partners, the donors who are helping us, I believe that 'Agenda 2030', even though it is difficult, will be achieved. Unlike the previous government, I believe that the new Government has the 'Agenda 2030' in its plan, where if it is implemented and we have a goal to achieve these objectives of the agenda, I believe that the air quality in Kosovo will also improve". Ejupi said.

Actions in the air

Last year, after concerns raised by citizens when they saw the data published by the American Embassy about the level of pollution, the Assembly held an extraordinary session, in which it presented a series of obligations mainly for the Government. But some of them remained only on paper. And in the Ministry of Environment, while admitting that the air condition is not good, they say that they are working on reducing pollution.

They mention the 4 million dollar project with the Japanese, which started in 2017 and will last until July 2020. This project, in addition to raising human capacities, according to MESP, also includes equipment for IHMK laboratories, the functionalization of apparatus for laboratory analysis, equipment for measuring emissions, and rehabilitation of 5 air quality monitoring stations for the region of Pristina.

In the framework of this project, emission measurements were made in TC "Kosova A" and TC "Kosova B" and in other large industries. "The inventory of emissions in the air has been prepared, for which field research has been done for households, public and private services, industry and traffic. Within this project, 4 monitors have been installed to display the state of air quality in the city of Pristina, where citizens will have the opportunity to track the state of air quality. Next year, it is planned to install such a monitor in the Municipality of Obiliq", the MESP announced.

In order to improve the air condition, according to this government department, the condition of the boilers and electrofilters in TC "Kosova A" and TC "Kosova B" and the possibility of increasing the performance of the electrofilters in TC "Kosova A" were also assessed.

"Research has been done and a preliminary assessment of the results of the measurements for the 1-month period during the winter has been made, where it has been established that the biggest source of air emissions is the KEK, but the results of the preliminary simulation modeling show that households are the polluters greater in terms of contribution to the concentration of air pollutants at ground level", the Ministry's response states.

After the collection of the necessary data by JICA experts together with the Ministry's team, it is expected to review the Government's strategic documents, through which short-term, medium-term and long-term measures to reduce air pollution will be determined.

The provision of equipment for measuring and controlling pollution, according to Krasniqi of the Ecological Party, has a positive effect, but, according to him, adequate measures must be taken to stop the source of pollution.

The measures that have been taken so far, according to the MESP, have been the creation of the interministerial Task Force for Air, the ban on the use of coal in schools, the decision to ban the use of coal in the facilities of public institutions, the Administrative Instruction for the measurement of gases of cars - from June, 2019, the MI has started the test phase of implementation, as well as the ratification of the agreement for IPA funds, for the replacement of filters at TC "Kosova B", 78 million euros.

However, the creation of these task forces, according to Professor Zeqir Veselaj, has not produced any positive effect, except for budget expenditures and the justification of failure in this regard. According to him, only monitoring is not enough, but actions are needed to stop the pollution.

An audit report on the performance of institutional mechanisms for legal regulation, monitoring and reporting of air quality conducted by the National Audit Office for the years 2016/2017 had found many irregularities. The Kosovar authorities, according to the report, even hid the extent of the pollution.

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"The dangerous parameters for human health that are evident in our country, PM10 and PM2.5 (dust particles), were not reported for an average of 4.2 months during 2017, which is not a little especially if they are winter months (months when these parameters reach maximum values)", says a 2018 report. "Despite the lack of reporting, in those cases where it has been reported, alarming exceedances of the PM10 parameter have been recorded that have reached up to 400 percent exceedance."

In this document, it is also emphasized that industrial polluters contract companies to measure the emissions that are released into the air, for which they are obliged to report to AMMK on a monthly basis. The companies carry out the monitoring during a day of the month that they designate themselves and this methodology, according to the Auditor, results in "indicative and unrealistic data".