Biomass, i.e. wood heating, is the most important source of air pollution in Skopje in the winter months. Outdoor fires cause polluted air mostly in spring and summer, and traffic, industry and the burning of oil and fuel oil are sources of pollution throughout the year. Mineral dust, which is a consequence of construction works, is most present in Skopje during the summer months.
These are the main results contained in the Study on Proportion of Pollutants in Skopje, prepared in the project “Tackling Air Pollution in the City of Skopje”, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in partnership with the City of Skopje and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning.
According to the research, in one measuring station in the Novo Lisiche settlement there are relatively higher concentrations of PM 2.5 than in the second one in Karposh, in the opposite part of the city. Biomass combustion is present from November to March, i.e. only in the winter months, and not in the summer. The share of wood heating in winter in air pollution is from 17 to 45 micrograms PM 2.5 per cubic meter in Novo Lisiche and from 12 to 30 micrograms in Karposh. This, according to Mirakovski, leads to the conclusion that only the heating exceeds the maximum allowable limit of 25 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles.
