Reducing use of coal to get cleaner air in Sarajevo

Authorities in Sarajevo plan to limit the use of coal in order to start solving the decades-old problem of polluted air. Air pollution is directly responsible for one of five premature deaths in the city.

Due to air pollution, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is often among the 50 most polluted cities in the world, not only in the winter months, when it often happens that the authorities declare an alert because the concentrations of pollutants are dangerous to human health, but also in the summer.

The Sarajevo Canton has started preparing the strategy for restricting the use of coal and other solid fuels for the period 2021-2031

So this morning, Sarajevo was on the 26th place on the list of 50 cities with the most polluted air in the world, published by AirVisual. Skopje was right behind it, which proves that air pollution is a problem of the entire region.

Considering that one of the main sources of air pollution is burning of coal in power plants and heating plants, but also in household furnaces, the Sarajevo Canton has started preparing the strategy for restricting the use of coal and other solid fuels for the period 2021-2031.

UNDP and the cantonal Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection will work together on the development of the strategy

UNDP and the cantonal Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection will work together on the development of the strategy, which is one of the activities within the Green Economic Development project, implemented throughout BiH.

In order to reduce air pollution, Toplane Sarajevo recently started a geothermal energy research project to replace natural gas in the district heating system.

The strategy to include a list of all sources of solid fuel emissions

The strategy will include an analysis of the current situation, a list of all sources of solid fuel emissions, including 100,000 house furnaces, an analysis of available fuels and furnaces and their impact on air quality, a proposal for establishing a system for furnace certification, control of quality and the type of solid fuels, and an overview of possible measures to reduce emissions.

The document will also calculate the cost of the switch to more environmentally friendly energy sources

Based on the collected data, lists of priority zones and settlements that have the greatest impact on air quality will be prepared, together with a plan for the allocation of investments that are needed to increase energy efficiency.

The strategy will also determine the necessary funds for the transition of consumers to more environmentally friendly energy sources.

The development of the strategy will cost around EUR 204,000

It is estimated that the preparation of the study will cost around EUR 204,000, which will be secured by the Embassy of Sweden and the ministry.

The development of the strategy is one of the priority projects for the reduction of air pollution envisaged by the development strategy of the Sarajevo Canton until 2020, as well as the cantonal environmental protection plan.