The report states that in connection with the implementation of the requirements of the European and National legislation in the field of protection of atmospheric air purity, an automatic measuring station for fine dust particles ФПЧ10 (with a particle size of less than 10 microns) functions on the territory of the municipality of Smolyan. In 2023 360 items were made. average daily measurements of FPH10, of which 34 were abnormally high. On 01.01.2023 a maximum value of 94.91 g/m3 was measured. For comparison in 2022 at 347 pcs. measurements reported 50 exceedances. The data used in the Report for 2023 of the Program for the Reduction of Pollution with Fine Dust Particles /FPCH10/ and the Action Plan for it for the period 2021-2025. are from an Automatic Metering Station, located at Polk. Dicho Petrov Street No. 3 / Regional Library “Nikolay Vranchev”/.
The mayor of Smolyan and submitter of the report Nikolay Melemov stated that one of the main reasons for the reduction of fine dust particles in the air in Smolyan is the implementation of the first stage of the project to replace the fuel base. He pointed out that over 4,000 heating devices – air conditioners and pellet appliances – have been installed so far, and 2,580 old wood and coal appliances have been seized from households and are already out of use. The mayor of Smolyan noted that the contract for the implementation of the second stage of the project has already been signed and its implementation will further help to reduce fine dust particles in the city.
In addition to the implementation of the project and replacement of the fuel base, the annual report also states that more measures are being implemented to improve the quality of atmospheric air in the municipality of Smolyan. Among them is the reduction of emissions from transport – introduction of optimized public transport traffic in the busiest arteries and intersections and improvement of the organization of traffic of motor vehicles; update of plans for repair and preventive maintenance of the street surface; hygienic maintenance of the street network.
It is also added that in the plan of OPU-Smolyan for winter maintenance, there is a requirement that the winter cleaning of the republican roads, located in the regulation of the city of Smolyan, should be of level “A” of maintenance and treatment with chemical substances for melting is applied as a priority on snow and ice.
Among the measures to improve the quality of atmospheric air is the maintenance and development of the green system – the construction of a green belt absorbing dust emissions around the busiest arteries and intersections.
The municipal councilor Eng. Ekaterina Gadjeva, who is also the director of RISW – Smolyan, specified that there were no large excesses of fine dust particles in the city in the last year. “The highest value during the period under consideration was 89 micrograms. In the past years, you can see that there were days with excesses of 2 and 3 times the norm. We do not even have 100 micrograms, but we have had days over the years when the fine dust particles reached up to 300 micrograms,” explained Eng. Gadjeva. She noted that it is important that the second stage of the project will be implemented in order to improve the results even more.
The annual report for 2023 on the implementation of the Program for reducing the levels of fine dust particles and reaching the established norms for the quality of atmospheric air of the Municipality of Smolyan and the Action Plan for it for the period 2020-2025. was adopted with 17 votes “for”, 2 “against” and 2 “abstentions”.
