prijava
SARAJEVO, February 27 (FENA) - An exhibition of photographs "#pričajmoozraku", (Let’s talk about air pollution), organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of raising awareness of the citizens of Sarajevo about the harmful effects of air pollution, opened today in the yard of the Embassy in Sarajevo.
The authors of the exhibition are BiH citizens who participated in a Facebook campaign #pričajmoozraku, and the author of the photo that took the main prize is young photographer Kemal Softić.
Swedish Ambassador to BiH Anders Hagelberg pointed out that all countries more or less are struggling with air pollution, but that BiH is one of the worst polluted countries in the world and significant efforts are needed to improve the situation.
“Many countries have proven that it is possible to improve the situation, and Sweden provides countries with the necessary expertise to help develop environmental strategies and measure air pollution adequately, and also we support energy efficiency projects in public facilities. We want to engage BiH citizens to participate in public debates on this issue,” Hagelberg said.
He stressed that Sweden invests 17 million euros annually in BiH, and that one third of this amount is directed to environmental projects.
The data show that BiH citizens are breathing the most polluted air in Europe, and according to the data from 2012 of the World Health Organization, ambient air pollution in BiH potentially causes more than 3,500 premature deaths annually.
Anes Podić from Eco Action Association pointed out that the awareness of BiH citizens of the problem of pollution has become somewhat better, but that only a decisive action led by political elites can truly change the situation.
“Unfortunately, the political elites are not interested in the wellbeing of their citizens and their health. We are witnesses that these days they are only preoccupied with a division of power, and the solution to our problems is nowhere to be seen. Sarajevo was on a good path to completely solve the problem of air pollution, after much effort and money were invested over the last 70 years, but the situation with environment protection in BiH is worse today than it was in the past,” said Podić.
He added that Sarajevo’s main landfill 15 years ago was almost completely regulated and functioning properly, while today, it is in complete disarray.
The Government of Sweden will allocate four million euros to improve air quality in BiH in the period from 2018 to 2022.
(FENA) S. R.
