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Fog and smog push Sarajevo towards top of world contamination charts

A blanket of fog and smog descended on the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo today, minimizing daytime presence to a couple of dozen metres and requiring residents inside as contamination levels surged to dangerous levels.

Only India's capital New Delhi, which has 100 times more people than Sarajevo, clocked worse air quality on Wednesday, according to IQAir, which tracks pollution levels in cities throughout the world.

IQAir has actually consistently graded Sarajevo's air quality as really unhealthy or harmful today, two of its worst measures. Street lights have been blotted out by the smog and road traffic has actually reduced considerably.

Its chart ranked Sarajevo as Europe's a lot of polluted city, with Skopje in North Macedonia the next worst at number 10.

Sarajevo, with a population of about 315,000, has nearly no contaminating industries, as they were destroyed during Bosnia's war in the 1990s.

However the city, nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and hills, has actually long experienced a phenomenon known as temperature level inversion which presses colder air and toxins from automobiles and nonrenewable fuel sources more detailed to the ground.

Combined with fog, it can remain for days, suggesting the city frequently experiences contamination in the winter season.

I am barely dealing with this weather, it's extremely tough to breath, said Sanjin Hakalovic, who was strolling the streets wearing a mask.

I am worried for my child who is engaged in sport due to the fact that it's really tough to train in such conditions. I am also fretted for my parents.

Specialists say that burning bad quality coal and wood in winter season, and making use of old diesel cars, are the primary contributors to air contamination. The rapid construction of skyscrapers that obstruct wind passages have actually not assisted.

When pollution was bad last winter season, the federal government promised to ban older vehicles and suspend school classes and outside gatherings when air quality degraded. None of these steps have actually been carried out.

Sarajevo's cantonal government did not react to a request for comment. It has formerly said that it is investing in public transport and energy efficiency.

(source: Reuters)