From February to May 2017, the Center for the Environment conducted an online survey aimed at the inhabitants of Gacko. The goal of online survey was to obtain an opinion on the operation of the existing Gacko thermal power plant with a special emphasis on air quality. The results of the survey are not at all encouraging.
“Citizens’ responses show that the situation in Gacko is more than worrying, while at the same time the health of the population is not on the list of priorities. The metering station in the city center does not work, and data on air quality and particulate emissions can only be obtained from a thermal power plant. Unfortunately, there is no will of the authorities to provide citizens with data transparency and thus discover where air pollution is coming from”, said Duška Kudra, from the Center for Environment.
According to the latest health analysis of the international organization Alliance for Health and Environment (HEAL), number of deaths caused by pollution from the existing Gacko thermal power plant shows alarming data. According to data from 2013, 254 inhabitants dies annually from polluted air caused by emissions from the Gacko thermal power plant, and health care costs amount to over 305 million euros.
“According to the international agreement of the Energy Community, the thermal power plant Gacko should reduce SO2 emissions by 80% by the end of 2018. More precisely from the current 15 000 tons to 2 500 tons. The Alliance for Health and the Environment strongly encourages all efforts to minimize emissions of pollutants in order to protect the health of the population and preserve the lives of people living in the Balkans,”, said Vlatka Matković Puljić from the Alliance for Health and the Environment.
You can view the survey results on the infographics, which you can download on this link:
https://czzs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Finalna-ilovepdf-compressed.pdf