Skopje, 4 October 2025 (MIA) – SDSM’s candidate for mayor of Skopje, Kaja Shukova during a visit Saturday to the Municipality of Kisela Voda presented a program aimed at tackling air pollution with a focus on solving the problem households are having involving heating. She said that over 50 percent of air pollution is still caused by individual households using wood, coal and other solid fuels, SDSM said in a press release.

“If we want to reduce air pollution, we have to help households. The City of Skopje will provide subsidies for the households who will join the central heating system,” Shukova stated.

SDSM’s program, she added, includes a series of measures divided into short-term, middle-term and long-term with two of them being considered crucial for this coming winter: direct financial assistance for joining the existing central heating network and assistance and support for the most vulnerable citizens to provide them with eco-friendly and safe solution for heating. 

“We want the process to be simple, transparent and quick, with no red tape. Every household should get assistance from the City,” Shukova said. 

As part of the program, the City of Skopje will also provide chimney cleaning and maintenance, as well as 5,000 free filters each year for households that heat with solid fuels, in order to reduce PM particles in the air, said the press release. 

“Pollution in Skopje must not be a winter fate. Where there is central heating, we will introduce a ban on the use of wood and coal, because it is a direct investment in the health of all Skopje residents,” the SDSM candidate for Skopje mayor said.

Photo: SDSM public relations center