Not only Kyiv. Deterioration of air quality is recorded in Ukraine
Date: 2024-09-20 Author: Alexei Fomin Categories: KYIV, REGIONS
Pollution in Kyiv
The capital's Department of Environmental Protection explained that an increase in the concentration of suspended particles is currently being recorded in Kyiv. That is, dust. In some areas of the city, pollution is maximum - 100 points, and the lowest concentration is 74 points.
The probable cause of pollution is called fires in ecosystems in the Kyiv region. The main array of fires is in the Kyiv region. There is a forest burning on an area of 172 hectares. As of today, a large number of fires have already been localized, the remainder is about 2 hectares.
Air pollution in the capital has been observed since 01:00 this day and continues. Kyiv residents are urged to:
not go outside unnecessarily and close the windows,
refrain from physical activity in the open air,
drink plenty of water.
However, air pollution due to fires in peatlands and open areas is recorded not only in the capital. In particular, acrid smog has covered Konotop in the Sumy region.
"In Konotop, you can probably hang an axe in the air now... And all this is because the peatlands have caught fire... It is very difficult to breathe. The relevant services are working. Do not stay outside for a long time. Keep the windows closed," Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin wrote on Telegram.
In Lutsk, the air is also not all that good. There, in some places, the air quality index is 153 - this is a harmful level of pollution that can cause discomfort when breathing.
Air pollution is also recorded in Kharkiv, where in some places the air quality index is higher than in Lutsk - 154 and 175, respectively. In the city of Bobrovitsa in the Chernihiv region, this figure is 171.
When the situation improves
"Unfortunately, due to the low wind speed, air purification does not occur quickly. We hope that there will be no additional fires and in the near future we will be able to freely move around the city and breathe fresh air," Dundar said.
However, according to him, experts cannot give specific forecasts for when this will happen. Since the elimination of the consequences of the fires is ongoing.
"We predict a certain increase in wind speed, which directly affects the rate of air purification in the capital and beyond," Dundar noted.
He also commented on IQair data that the level of pollution in the Ukrainian capital allegedly exceeded the norm by 12.5 times. According to him, such information cannot be officially confirmed, and here's why.
"As of now, there is really a lot of pollution. We cannot say how many times the norm has been exceeded. Since dust is not differentiated in terms of any concentration standards...Therefore, we cannot confirm such data. But the pollution is indeed significant," Dundar concluded.
