Polluted air endangers residents - The city of Plav in Montenegro is "invaded" by dense sulfur dioxide clouds
A dense cloud of pollution has blanketed the town of Plav in Montenegro, with the environmental agency issuing a warning for citizens to stay indoors due to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the air.
The northern city's skyline is dominated by a coal mine and a power plant, which experts say are sources of dangerous air pollutants, such as fine particles PM10 and PM2.5.
While smoke from chimneys and fog reduce visibility, people say households using coal and firewood are the main cause of pollution.
“These families create chaos because people here have been using coal for heating since the 1950s, when the coal mine opened,” said Hasan Vlahovljak, a resident of Plav.
While much of the world is trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels, pollution in Western Balkan countries remains high due to home heating, outdated coal-fired power plants, old cars and a lack of funds to tackle the problem.
Like many other cities in the Balkans, Plav is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, suffering from a phenomenon known as a temperature inversion, which pushes cold air and pollutants from fossil fuels and vehicles closer to the ground. Mixed with fog, it can linger for days.
Doctors from the local hospital have warned of a large number of young children who are having difficulty breathing and many of them are receiving oxygen treatment.
Environmentalists say pollution has worsened since the coal-fired power plant resumed operations after so-called 'ecological reconstruction' three weeks ago, but without activating its desulfurization unit.
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