SARAJEVO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The air quality index (AQI) in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), reached 482 on Wednesday, ranking the city's air as hazardous and one of the most polluted in the world.
At the same time, concentrations of fine particulate matter PM2.5 exceeded 316 micrograms per cubic meter, about 63 times higher than the annual guideline level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Several other cities in BiH, including Visoko, Kakanj, Travnik and Tuzla, also recorded extremely high pollution levels, the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute of BiH said.
The government of Sarajevo Canton declared a "warning episode," introducing a series of emergency measures. These include a ban on trucks weighing more than 3.5 tons and vehicles with EURO 2 or lower emission standards in the city center, a suspension of all outdoor construction works, and restrictions on public gatherings and outdoor activities in schools within the canton.
The Public Health Department in Sarajevo urged residents to remain indoors, especially children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic heart and respiratory diseases.
Official data show that nearly 90 percent of Sarajevo's air pollution comes from household heating using firewood and coal, and from road traffic, combined with unfavorable geographic conditions that often cause temperature inversion.
