Sarajevo authorities declare emergency situation due to dramatic air pollution

Anadolija

Sarajevo Canton authorities raised the alarm and introduced special measures on Saturday, following the dramatically high air pollution that hit the Bosnian capital.

According to the AirVisual measurements, Sarajevo has been leading the way on the list of the most polluted city in the world since Friday evening and throughout Saturday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 464 at Saturday 7 pm. 

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Despite the slight decrease of the AQI on Saturday morning, the Sarajevo Government urgently acted and declared the emergency situation, introducing special measures in line with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality standards.

The authorities highly recommend to citizens to avoid performing any outdoor activities, to avoid indoor use of cigarettes, vacuum cleaning, or use of cooker hoods.

Also, the citizens are asked not to ventilate their homes, to limit or completely avoid the use of vehicles.

For all those in need to go outside, the authorities highly recommend the use of EN 149 protection masks. Drivers are recommended to switch the ventilation system to the recirculation mode in their cars instead of using the air intake from outside.

The measures also stipulate fines for the use of prohibited substances for the heating purposes.