page_title: Skopje
section_title: Pollution
hierarchical_section_title: Skopje / Geography / Pollution
caption_attribution_description: English: Urban pollution of air extraction slot from various exhaust gases and steam Македонски: со и пареа и издувни гасови English: Urban pollution
context_page_description: Skopje is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
  The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; remains of Neolithic settlements have been found within the old Kale Fortress that overlooks the modern city centre. Originally a Paeonian city, Scupi became the capital of Dardania in the second century BC. On the eve of the 1st century AD, the settlement was seized by the Romans and became a military camp. When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in 395 AD, Scupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople. During much of the early medieval period, the town was contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire, whose capital it was between 972 and 992.
  From 1282, the town was part of the Serbian Empire, and acted as its capital city from 1346 to 1371. In 1392, Skopje was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, who called it Üsküb, with this name also being in use in English for a time. The town stayed under Ottoman control for over 500 years, serving as the capital of pashasanjak of Üsküp and later the Vilayet of Kosovo.
context_section_description: Air pollution is a serious problem in Skopje, especially in winter. Concentrations of certain types of particulate matter (PM2 and PM10) are regularly over twelve times the WHO recommended maximum levels. In winter, smoke regularly obscures vision and can lead to problems for drivers. Together with India and Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia is one of the most polluted places in the world.
  Skopje's high levels of pollution are caused by a combination of smoke from houses, emissions from buses and other forms of public transport, as well as from cars, and a lack of interest in caring for the environment. Central heating is often not affordable, and so households often burn firewood, as well as used car tyres, various plastic garbage, petroleum and other possible flammable waste, which emits toxic chemicals harmful to the population, especially to children and the elderly.
  The city's smog has reduced its air quality and affected the health of many of its citizens, many of which have died from pollution-related illnesses.
  An application called MojVozduh ('My Air') has been launched to help citizens track pollution levels. It uses a traffic light system, with red for heavily polluted air, amber for high levels detected, and green for when the air is safe to inhale. However, this application relies on frequently inoperable and malfunctioning sensors which monitor pollution levels in the city. Faults are especially frequent when the pollution is measured is extremely high, according to the AQILHC (Air Quality Index Levels of Health Concern).
  On 29 November 2019,  a march, organized by the Skopje Smog Alarm activist community, attracted thousands of people who opposed the government's lack of action in dealing with the city's pollution, which has worsened since 2017, contributing to around 1300 deaths annually.
  There is little evidence that the actions and measures for minimizing pollution in Skopje have started to have an effect, and the city's goal of a better and healthier future for its residents has not yet occurred.
caption: Pollution contributors in the area of Skopje
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