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This autumn the air in Skopje much more polluted compared to this spring, during the curfew

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The air pollution in Skopje was far lower during spring this year, during the  lockdown, compared to this autumn. The movement restrictions that limited the traffic in Skopje and the industrial production have contributed to cleaner air during March and April compared to October and November 2020, show the data of the air quality from the monitoring stations in Skopje provided by the Ministry for Environment and Physical Planning (MEPP).

Meta.mk analyzed the monthly air quality reports in Skopje. Firstly, the air temperature seems not to have influenced too much the degree of air pollution. In April 2020, the average temperature was 1.2 degrees lower compared to October 2020, while during March the temperature was 2.1 degrees higher compared to November 2020, show the data provided by the measuring station in the Gjorche Petrov area. Despite these minimal temperature movements, the data shows that during the autumn period, the air was more polluted compared to the spring season.

The air quality measuring shows that the measuring of concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM10 particles and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) were higher during the autumn against spring this year. The MEPP’s data indicate that in October 2020 the average daily concentrations of suspended PM10 particles as recorded by the Lisiche measuring station were by 34% higher compared to April. The average daily concentration of PM-10 particles during April was 33.4 µg/m3 while in October it was 50.58 µg/m3.

At an identical measuring station, the average daily concentration of suspended PM 10 particles in March was 54 µg/m3 while in November the measuring indicated a striking 126.9 µg/m3. This means that the presence of PM10 particles last month was 57.5% higher compared to March 2020.

In April, during the lockdown,, in Lisiche area, there were only 3 days when a breach of the safe daily limit for PM10 particles was registered. In October, the air was enormously polluted with PM10 particles during a period of 11 days i.e. this was the period during which a breach of the 24-hour concentrations of these harmful particles was recorded.

Also, during 26 out of 30 days in November there was a breach of the 24-hour concentrations of PM10 particles at the Lisiche measuring station against 18 days as were registered in March 2020 , shows the data in the MEPP’s monthly reports.

Regarding to the most dangerous particles that are emitted in the air – PM 2.5 particles, the condition was far worse this autumn compared to the spring season. At the Centar measuring station, the increase of PM 2.5 particles in October was 23.5 % higher than in April. The average value of PM 2.5 particles in October was 26.29 µg/m3 while in April 2020, the average value for the whole month was 20.12 µg/m3. In November 2020, the average daily concentrations of PM 2.5 particles in Centar were 56.8 % higher compared to March 2020. The average value of PM 2.5 particles for November was 57 µg/m3 while in March these numbers were 24.7 µg/m3.

 

The situation with the average daily concentrations of PM 2.5 particles at the Karposh measuring station is identical. In October there was an increase of PM 2.5 particles by 16% compared to April 2020 while in November their presence was by 48.9% higher compared to March 2020.

In October, the average daily concentrations of PM 2.5 particles were 23.07 µg/m3 while in April they were 19.39 µg/m3. In November, the average value of MP 2.5 particles in the air in Karposh municipality was 52 µg/m3 while in March it was 26.6 µg/m3.

Otherwise, Meta.mk has already written that during April when there was a lockdown imposed, the average frequency of vehicles at three key crossroads in Skopje was decreased by 2 to 2.5 times compared to the period when there wasn’t a lockdown i.e. in March 2020. This means that when the transportation is active especially with the movement of vehicles across the streets, the air in Skopje was more polluted not only with PM 10 and 2.5 particles by with Nitrogen Dioxide as well (NO2).

The data provided by the State Statistical Office state that during 2019 in the capital there were 148.892 vehicles registered i.e. there were 592 vehicles less compared to the previous year. The total number of vehicles in Skopje last year was 174.008 vehicles.

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