Assessment of air quality in the KEK area
06 August 2013
06/08/2013-
The Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, specifically the Kosovo Hydrometeorological Institute, through a Report has conducted an assessment of the air quality in the KEK area. The purpose of the Report is to inform the public about the air quality in this area. Through this report, the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency primarily fulfills its legal obligations arising from the Law on Environmental Protection and the Law on Air Pollution Protection, as well as other environmental obligations to timely and correctly inform the general public and all other interested parties about the state of the air in the KEK area.
Also, through this report, AMMK aims to increase transparency for the residents of this area as well as to contribute to further steps in the implementation of the project for the new Kosovo Power Plant.
AMMK considers that transparency and accurate information about the air quality in the municipality of Obiliq will help central and local institutions, as well as various investors, in the successful implementation of new energy projects and projects aimed at improving the environmental situation in this area, including more effectively involving the general public not only through information but also through the active decision-making process.
The report contains data on air quality collected from the continuous automatic monitoring system of air quality in the KEK area, which consists of three monitoring stations located in Obiliq-Family Medicine Center, in Dardhishtë, the Primary School, and in Palaj, Kosova Mont Facility. The report refers to the monitoring period from January 1 - June 31, 2013. In this report, the concentration of pollutants in the air during the monitoring period is presented through graphs and tables. The review of the collected data has been addressed with reference to limit values, and the threshold limit values for information and alarm levels, for the protection of human health and the ecosystem, as defined by Directive 2008/50 and the Administrative Instruction on limit values - air quality standards; No.02/2011.
From the evaluation and processing of the collected data, it is observed that the highest exceedances at the three monitoring stations were with the pollutants PM10 and PM2.5. From this, it can be concluded that the main air pollution problems in the KEK area are: poor air quality due to pollution with PM10 and PM2.5 particles and the increase in the concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 in the winter season, as a result of gas emissions from KEK, from home heating combustions, and from meteorological conditions.
With the aim of improving air quality and providing a more accurate reflection of the situation in the KEK area, AMMK is recommended to expand the monitoring network and equip it with measuring instruments, to increase the number of monitoring parameters according to the requirements set out in the laws and guidelines regulating air quality issues, as well as for institutions and polluting operators to take measures to reduce PM10 and PM2.5 pollution.
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