Smog enveloped the capital of Kyrgyzstan on Saturday. The inhabitants of Biszkek covered their nose with scarves and masks to protect themselves from harmful air. – Almost all children have allergies, they can't take a deep breath. Why? Because the air is poisonous – said Aly Abaskanova, a resident of Biszkek.
The air pollution indicator Air Quality Index (AQI) in Biszkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, reached the value of 260 on Saturday. It means “very harmful” air.
– sources smog They are different, from the power plant in Biszkek to a huge number of cars – said Zharkynbek Kasymbekov, director of the National Institute of Public Health. – One of the main problems is burning garbage, waste from tailoring plants. In the season, despite the ban, leaves are also burned. And probably few people know that burning one ton of garbage of this kind releases nine kilograms of dust into the atmosphere – he added.
Smog over the city
On Saturday recordings from the drone you can see a dense cloud of smog hanging over the city, obscuring the streets on which the cars moved. Inhabitants of the largest city of Kyrgyzstan covered their noses with scarves and masks to protect themselves from harmful air.
– Almost all children have allergies, they can't breathe, they can't take a deep breath. Why? Because the air is poisonous – said Aly Abaskanova, a resident of Biszkek. – There are a lot of cars, and therefore smog. You can't breathe, his eyes pinch – added another inhabitant of Beksultan.
Local authorities have taken actions to fight the deteriorating air quality. Anarbek Uulu Medetbek, head of the Regional Department of Environmental and Technical Supervision for the City of Biszkek and the Alamudun District explained that the police stop vehicles to measure exhaust emissions. The department also carries out regular checks of private saunas and production companies to make sure that they do not burn synthetic waste and are equipped with special filters. “In this way we significantly reduce pollution,” said Medetbek.
However, despite these efforts, residents still feel the effects of pollution. As Reuters writes, sometimes the level of pollution in the city reaches 449.
The AQI indicator at 0-50 is considered good, while pollution between 400-500 has a very negative impact on healthy people and is a great threat to people struggling with diseases. A value above 800 is considered a deadly threat.
Source of the main photo: Reuters