A blanket of fog and smog descended on the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo this week, reducing daytime visibility to a few dozen meters and forcing residents indoors as pollution levels surged to hazardous levels, Reuters reports.
Only India’s capital New Delhi, which has 100 times more people than Sarajevo, clocked worse air quality on Wednesday (December 18) according to IQAir, which tracks pollution levels in cities across the world.
Its chart ranked Sarajevo as Europe’s most polluted city, with Skopje in North Macedonia the next worst at number 10.
With a population of about 315,000, Sarajevo has almost no polluting industries as they were destroyed during Bosnia’s war in the 1990s.
But as it is nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and hills, the city has long suffered from a phenomenon known as temperature inversion which presses colder air and pollutants from vehicles and fossil fuels closer to the ground. Mixed with fog, it can persist for days.
“I am hardly coping with this weather, it’s very difficult to breathe,” said Sanjin Hakalovic, adding he was worried about how members of his family would cope.
Air quality expert Muris Spahic said the situation would only improve by reducing fossil fuel use and traffic congestion.
When pollution was bad last winter, the government pledged to ban older cars and suspend school classes and outdoor gatherings when air quality deteriorated. None of these measures have been implemented.
Sarajevo’s cantonal government did not respond to a request for comment. It has previously said that it is investing in public transport and energy efficiency.
