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[h=1]Macedonia: Pollution Monitoring Stations Out of Order[/h]
March 26, 2014, Wednesday @ 11:18 in Society » ENVIRONMENT | Views: 15
Smoke from Zelezarnica steel factory in Skopje. Photo: Vlatko Perkovski
While Paris authorities provide free bicycle and electric car rental, Berlin and 200 other European cities have established zones where only vehicles emitting small quantities of harmful gases can drive, in some places entire plants are dislocated and actions are taken to make the urban areas greener, the residents of Skopje hope rain and wind will save them from air-pollution.Second-hand cars are vastly used in Skopje, free parking is unsanctioned, green surfaces are "swallowed" with the construction expansion and factories are licensed to pollute the air by April 1. Local monitoring stations, on the other hand, work according to the "on/off" principle, thus many of them are not functioning at all or do not provide accurate data on the presence of hazardous particles in the air.
This can also be seen on the Environment Ministry's website, where the index of hazardous particles PM 10 and PM 2.5 in certain monitoring stations still remains a mystery. These days, the concentrated dust amount varies between 50 micrograms per a cubic meter to 150 micrograms, which is 3 times more than the allowed amount. The Gazi Baba station, located only 3 km away from Zhelezarnica Steel Factory, is out of order. The Miladinovci monitoring station, close to Okta Oil Refinery, also shows lack of regular values. The measurement station charts close to the University complex inSkopje provide no accurate data as well. This means that only Centar, Karposh and Lisiche in the Skopje area show results on the presence of particles."Regular maintenance of monitoring stations is necessary for proper functioning. Our means are limited. We expect spare parts to be provided soon, so in 2-3 months time, the measurement stations will function again," said Svetlana Gjorgeva, Head of the Macedonian Informative Center on Environment within the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. She also stressed that the Ministry's website is among the most modern in Europe and offers charts and values according to the latest air-pollution standards.The Ministry has not precisely stipulated why the measurement stations stopped working and no data is provided on the current values of certain particles or gasses present in the air.People living in the vicinity of factories still see dark dust clouds. Residents urge authorities to deal with air pollution related problems. This year, Makstil announced a EUR 10 million investment in the dust collection system. The Government should decide whether the deadline for fulfillment of ecology standards will be postponed. Nevertheless, given that the election period hasstarted and a new government is to be established, it is almost certain that the air will be polluted by April 1.
- See more at: Macedonia: Pollution Monitoring Stations Out of Order - Independent.mk
While Paris authorities provide free bicycle and electric car rental, Berlin and 200 other European cities have established zones where only vehicles emitting small quantities of harmful gases can drive, in some places entire plants are dislocated and actions are taken to make the urban areas greener, the residents of Skopje hope rain and wind will save them from air-pollution.Second-hand cars are vastly used in Skopje, free parking is unsanctioned, green surfaces are "swallowed" with the construction expansion and factories are licensed to pollute the air by April 1. Local monitoring stations, on the other hand, work according to the "on/off" principle, thus many of them are not functioning at all or do not provide accurate data on the presence of hazardous particles in the air.
This can also be seen on the Environment Ministry's website, where the index of hazardous particles PM 10 and PM 2.5 in certain monitoring stations still remains a mystery. These days, the concentrated dust amount varies between 50 micrograms per a cubic meter to 150 micrograms, which is 3 times more than the allowed amount. The Gazi Baba station, located only 3 km away from Zhelezarnica Steel Factory, is out of order. The Miladinovci monitoring station, close to Okta Oil Refinery, also shows lack of regular values. The measurement station charts close to the University complex inSkopje provide no accurate data as well. This means that only Centar, Karposh and Lisiche in the Skopje area show results on the presence of particles."Regular maintenance of monitoring stations is necessary for proper functioning. Our means are limited. We expect spare parts to be provided soon, so in 2-3 months time, the measurement stations will function again," said Svetlana Gjorgeva, Head of the Macedonian Informative Center on Environment within the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. She also stressed that the Ministry's website is among the most modern in Europe and offers charts and values according to the latest air-pollution standards.The Ministry has not precisely stipulated why the measurement stations stopped working and no data is provided on the current values of certain particles or gasses present in the air.People living in the vicinity of factories still see dark dust clouds. Residents urge authorities to deal with air pollution related problems. This year, Makstil announced a EUR 10 million investment in the dust collection system. The Government should decide whether the deadline for fulfillment of ecology standards will be postponed. Nevertheless, given that the election period hasstarted and a new government is to be established, it is almost certain that the air will be polluted by April 1.
- See more at: Macedonia: Pollution Monitoring Stations Out of Order - Independent.mk
