Skopje, 10 November 2024 (MIA) - Skopje ranked among the top ten most polluted cities in the world on Sunday. According to IQAir, the air in Skopje on Sunday morning was unhealthy, while the air quality index stood at 153.

IQAir ranked Skopje as the sixth most polluted city in the world on Sunday, behind Pakistan’s Lahor, India’s Delhi, Iraq’s Baghdad, Uzbekistan’s Tashkent, and the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo. 

Quizzed about the issue on a previous occasion, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Izet Mexhiti said air pollution is a complex issue that cannot be solved with one measure, but instead requires a set of measures. “With the set of measures we have taken, we will slowly but surely contribute to cleaner air and environment,” Mexhiti said. 

The Minister said it is true that Skopje and other cities in the country are highly polluted, but also noted that “the number of days with polluted air has been dropping in recent years”. 

According to analyses carried out in several cities, Mexhiti said, the main factor contributing to the pollution are households who heat up their homes with firewood or other inappropriate fuel. 

Photo: Screenshot