03 January 2018
03.01.2018 - Last night, in the central edition of the news on RTK, a television report titled 'Air pollution in Prishtina is alarming!' was broadcast.
Among other things, this report states that 'during the last few days, the average values of air pollution in Prishtina have exceeded the allowed limit by more than 300 times.'
The Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency - KEPA, informed the general public that this reporting is entirely unfounded based on monitored data and does not correspond to reality.
It is a fact that during the holiday days, specifically on 30.12.2017, 31.12.2017, and 01.01.2018, there were exceedances of the allowed values of PM10 and PM2.5 in Pristina, which was also documented and reported by AMMK (see the report), but these exceedances have been normal for this season and these days, considering also the fact of fireworks being lit. However, these exceedances in no way reach a level 300 times above the allowed limit, and such a level of pollution is almost theoretically impossible.
Furthermore, the information provided by RTK, besides being inaccurate and unsubstantiated, was also very confusing and unprofessional because the information does not specify the parameter for which the exceedances were recorded, the average values to which the exceedances refer, or the source that confirms this exceedance.
Such information has caused confusion, misunderstanding, and misinformation among the general public, and it has even been distributed and interpreted in the same manner by many other portals and information sources.
Therefore, the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency requests all electronic and print media to ignore this information, while it asks RTK to refute the information and apologize for the transmitted error.
On this occasion, we ask all media, with the aim of real and professional reporting on air quality, to refer to the data and sources from air quality monitoring conducted by the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, which are public on the AMMK website.
For more information, the Air Quality Report 29.12.2017-02.01.2018.