Sofia Ranked among Most Polluted Cities in Europe

Sofia is one of the 14 zones in Europe with highly polluted air with fine particles. This was stated by George Kremlis from the European Commission's Environment Directorate during the two-day conference on air quality in the capital. Representatives of other European cities, including Paris, Vienna, Tallinn, Bucharest, Amsterdam and Riga, are also participating to exchange experiences and good practices in dealing with air pollution in urban environments.

There is a problem with the fine dust particles in the air throughout the country, with Sofia being ranked at the top in terms of polluted air.

Sofia Municipality identifies the pollution from motor vehicles and household heating as a major problem. The municipality has taken measures to encourage people to use public transport instead of their private cars. 90% of trolley buses are replaced with new, as well as 50% of the buses. There are plans for purchase of new trams. Expansion of the undergorund is also a priority for the municipality to tackle the problem of polluted air. It is expected that harmful emissions wil be reduced by 90,000 tonnes annually with the launch of the third line of the underground.

There is a project for an installation in Sofia District Heating which will use the fuel from the waste processing plant.