Pristina, the capital of the Republic of Kosovo, is the country's most populated city, with more than 200,000 inhabitants. Its air pollution level are similar to those of Beijing, Mumbai and New Delhi. The main sources of Pristina's air pollution include power plant emissions during energy production, household emissions and traffic.
Air pollution in Pristina Air in Pristina is polluted mainly from: Particulate Matter – PM10, PM2.5 (Dust) Gases – NO2, SO2, CO, O3
Sources of air pollution The main sources of air pollution in Pristina are: Traffic emissions from diesel fuelled old vehicles with limited emission control Thermal power plants "Kosovo A" and "Kosovo B" (fueled with lignite) located in Obiliq, 10 km west of Pristina Residential houses (wood, wood-waste, lignite coal) District heating system operated by "Termokos"
Gases NO The main nitrogen oxide found in the air in Pristina is nitrogen oxide (NO). NO affects the color of textile materials, causes corrosion in metallic materials, and causes the wilting of leaves in vegetation. NO2 is 4 times more lethal than NO, and it is mostly concentrated in urban areas. NO2 in Pristina is 52% from transport sector, 28% from emissions for energy production, and 11% from industry. Pristina has a lower annual average of NO2 emission as compared to the annual average limit allowed.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO)-annual average for 2010 and 2011 2010 2011 Annual average value limit for protection of materials 40 μg/m3 Pristina-KHMI 20.82 - Annual average of NO in Pristina
The annual average of NO emission in Pristina was 20.82 μg/m3 in 2010, lower than limit of 40 μg/m3. There is no available data for 2011, which means no comparison can be made between 2010 and 2011. However, with only 68% of data being valid, this means that the emission of NO may not be accurate. On the other hand, according to a study by the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, the emission of NO2 is alarming; in only three months, NO2 measurement exceeded allowed emissions by 18 times. The emission of NO is higher in winter, where the heating process is accelerated, with February being the peak month. The main contributor to the pollution of air with NO are Kosovo A and B power plants. Thus, NO emission is estimated to be higher in urban areas where traffic is enormous. However, in Pristina, the NO limit that would cause health problems in people's life is not exceeded; this may not apply for other cities near Pristina.
SO Sulphur dioxide (SO)-annual average(including the winter season 01.10-31.03)2010 and 2011 2010 2011 The limit value for vegetation protection annual average(including the winter 01.10-31.03) 20 μg/m3 Pristina, KHMI 11.23 - Annual average values of SO in Pristina
CO
Vehicles and fuel burning companies are the main sources of CO in Pristina. Fuel burning includes liquid fuels, natural gas and wood, combustion of coal, and industrial processes such as furnaces, paper factories, the refineries, and facilities for production of construction materials. CO emission in air can be mitigated through plants; however, this is another problem in Pristina. The lack of green spaces and well-maintained parks makes the mitigation of CO impossible. The highest pollutant is the production of energy, with Pristina's annual CO contribution to global warming being 5.5 million tons. CO pollution comes 30% from fuel use for power generation, 29% from transport, 20% from industry, 15% from residential commerce, and 6% from other sources. If Pristina is compared with regional countries, it is noticed that Pristina exceeds the OSCE and EU emissions of CO. Pristina has higher emission of CO2 compared to the region of Serbia, and lower emissions compared to the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Particulate matter (dust) PM emission on air comes mainly from transportation in Pristina. The problem lies in the significant increase of automobiles in Pristina, where most are old and do not possess catalytic converters. Pristina's cars' life spans range from 5 years to more than 15 years. 7.5% of registered cars are newer than 5 years old, 77.36% are older than 10 years, and 66.82% of them are more than 15 years old. Furthermore, each day in Pristina, an enormous number of cars enter, creating traffic as well as air pollution. Out of the total number of vehicles registered in Kosovo, 31.18% of them are registered in Pristina; 84% are passenger's vehicles, 13% are from transporting, and the others come mainly from urban traffic. The public transportation in Pristina contains mainly buses exported from other countries. There are 757 licensed buses routes per day and out of these 382 are executed on average per day. Buses/minibuses connecting urban and suburban areas total 151 with 935 departures per day.
There are two main stations in Pristina that measure the air pollution, the Kosovo Hydro Meteorological Institute (IHMK) and Rilindja.
PM PM number of days with exceeded daily limit value for 2010 and 2011 2010 2011 Daily limit value 50 μg/m3 Number of days with exceedances within a year 35days Pristina IHMK 99 68* Pristina Rilindja 69* 92* Number of days with exceeded limit values of PM
As can be seen from the table, the maximum amount allowed to be exceeded with PM10 is 35 days, and the maximum daily value is 50 μg/m3. However, according to KHMI, Pristina exceeded this limit for 99 days in 2010 and for 68 days in 2011. The majority of days with exceedance of average daily values were during the winter months. The table below presents PM maximum, minimum, and average monthly values, where November is the month with the highest recorded PM value.
PM Average Max Min Sep 51.7 83.1 24.1 Oct 50.6 128.2 10.6 Nov 153.84 278.63 37.97 Dec 53.23 141.79 16.96 Jan 54.45 155.9 14.07 Feb 51.84 125.98 16.05 Mar 49.74 73.05 24.19 Monthly average values, max and min. of PM, IHMK station (Pristina 1)
The annual limit of (40 μg/m3) was also exceeded in 2010 and 2011, as it can be seen from figure 2. The highest pollution value reached from traffic in Pristina was estimated to be 75.74 μg/m3, which is 1.9 times more than the average annual limit.
PM PM Annual average 2010 2011 Annual limit value 50 μg/m3 Pristina Rilindje 37.34 40.04 Annual Average of PM
The average annual emission of PM is 25 μg/m3. However, Pristina has exceeded this limit in 2010 and 2011. Furthermore, the PM concentration has increased from 37.34 μg/m3 in 2010 to 40.40 μg/m3in 2011. The highest value of PM2.5 has been recorded in the winter months, with November leading among other months.
PM Average Max Min Nov 93.88 148.87 26.02 Dec 39.31 110.2 13.73 Jan 44.38 144.74 11.38 Feb 41.97 110.3 10.23 Mar 32.36 46.61 18.93 Monthly average values, max and min. of PM, station IHMK (Pristina1)
Kosovo A and B Power Plants
Kosovo A and B power plants are the number one pollutant of Kosovo and Pristina region. It is the primary factor contributing to the pollution of air with the above-mentioned gasses. The power plants located in Obiliq produce 97% of the electrical energy used in Pristina, while only 3% comes from hydropower. There is no continuous emission monitoring system from those two plants. However, lower emissions have been reported in Kosovo B compared to Kosovo A. Kosovo A has three blocks, A, A, A, and Kosovo B has two blocks B and B. According to the state report for environmental conditions in Kosovo, both power plants have exceeded the SO limits in air, that of 400 mg/Nm3, and the NO limit that of 500 mg/Nm3, and dust emission limit that of 50 mg/Nm3. CO emission from Kosovo A is lower than from power plant Kosovo B, as it can be seen in the table below.
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Kosovo A 2,087,938 2,008,196 2,364,253 2,848,117 2,893,087 2,762,053 Kosovo B 3,636,361 4,338,011 4,689,615 4,249,301 3,463,901 3,314,555 Sum 5,724,299 6,346,207 7,053,868 7,097,418 6,356,988 6,076,608 CO emissions from power plants Kosovo A and B in Pristina
Electro filters are planned to be established in A, A and A with the aim to increase the efficiency of the existing electro filters. The plant's CO emissions are more than 6 million tons annually, which means 520 tons per hour. When Kosovo A+B produces energy at full capacity (200 MW), it emits 25 tons of dust and ash (that includes gases) per hour, which is 74 times more than the European limit. Critical months are deemed April, June, July, October, November and December, where the emission of gases and dust exceeds the limit allowed.
Facts from Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning in Kosovo (2006): Greenhouse gasses: 10,797,000 tons of CO and 425,000 t of CH CO emissions: 986,000 tons Dust emissions: 167,000 t with specific values from 1,881mg/m to 7,523 mg/m at Kosovo A and 250 mg/m at Kosovo B SO emissions: 167,000 t with specific values of 895 mg/m NO Emission: 20,000 t with specific values from 358 mg/m to 478 mg/m at Kosovo A and 735 mg/m at Kosovo B. The Ministry of Environment has concluded that the problem with dust emitted from those two power plants is serious and it cannot be avoided without major redesign of the boilers. Plant units in Kosovo A need serious assessment since they are at the end of their lifespan. On the other hand, Kosovo B has a longer lifespan, but the existing electrostatic precipitator is in very bad conditions and also there is low control of dust emission in the air. The European Union has set some targets that those power plants shall reach by 2017. Dust emission should be max 50 mg/Nm, SO max 400 mg/Nm, and NO max 500 mg/Nm.
Pollutant Kosovo A Kosovo B Limit value Limit to be achieved by Dust 902.32 156.35 50 31 Dec 2017 SO2 251.42 208.55 400 31 Dec 2017 NO2 705.75 835.08 500 31 Dec 2017 Air pollutants released in 2006 from Power Plants Kosovo A and B
District Heating and Household Heating The district heating company "Termokos" operates a network covering some neighborhoods in the center of Pristina. An extension is foreseen. This company operates a heating station fueled with oil and gas, while a cogeneration system is considered a stable solution for the improvement of the heating system in Pristina. District heating is offered only in three cities in Kosovo, whereas approximately 3–4% of households are connected.
Some challenges related with District heating are: Loss of hot water (energy) in the distribution network Non-coverage of entire city with district heating No use of renewable energy such as solar heating Pollutants emitted in the air
Pollutant Termokos Limit SO 491.0 400 mg/Nm SO pollution from Termokos (2006)
However, private households in Pristina use mainly wood, wastewood and residual waste for heating, burned in old ovens without filters and low burning temperatures. Thus, air pollutants, dust and smell end up in the urban air and worsen the situation. Heating material is secured from public vegetation. This problem could be reduced if district heating challenges would be solved, and each house in Pristina would be abandoned from firing heating materials, which are cut from woods and bushes in the region. In turn, more vegetation would decrease the air pollution as well.
Water Pristina City has limited quantities of surface waters and groundwaters, which are mainly distributed to peripheral areas. A small fraction of the available water is underground water, such as the Pajtimi field source that amounts to 50 litres/sec and the "Germia" source with 15 litres/sec. Watercourses are scarce. There are small rivers in the urban area, such as Pristina River and Vellusha River that collect the water flows of creeks coming from Lagjia e Spitalit, Mati, Kodra e Trimave, and Vellusha. Pristina Rivers serve to collect rainwater from all urban areas of Pristina.