The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) could finally have healthier air. The House of Peoples of the Federal Parliament adopted the Draft Law on Air Protection. Although this is an important step towards solving a pressing problem that is taking people’s lives, its enforceability is questionable considering that the by-laws of the last valid law have not been passed for two decades.
Citizens of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) could soon be able to breathe freely, after members of both houses of the Federal Parliament gave their support to the Draft Law on Air Protection. And citizens commented on how they have fought so far.
”Hardly, believe me. I am a patient with heart disease“.
“This year it was not so polluted, it seems to be improving. We hope it will be better”.
The first step has been taken, but the road is long. It is crucial, the relevant ministry explains, to reduce the emissions of fine floating particles through investments in energy and transport, and the establishment of quality centers in the most vulnerable cantons. The emphasis will be on the work of competent inspections.
“Until now, environmental protection inspections have mainly dealt with the issue of air. Now we are also introducing obligations towards environmental inspections, but also urban planning and construction inspections and market inspections, because for the first time the issue of monitoring domestic reservoirs is being introduced,” said FBiH Minister of Environment and Tourism Nasiha Pozder.
Since household heating represents the largest single source of pollution, the second, infamous place is reserved for urban traffic. But all this will cost money, thanks to the authorities who in the past two decades turned a blind eye to the problem that takes the life of every fifth person in the world.
“It is especially noticeable in younger generations who have been exposed to pollution for a long period of time, that it has an impact on health and leads to certain mutations and various diseases that were not a problem before,” explains Adna SijercicMaksimovic, doctor of genetics and bioengineering.
Questionable air quality is also witnessed in summer, not only in winter. Forest fires further fueled the problem.
“Effective application of this law would save 10 times more lives every year, compared to the number of people who die in traffic accidents,” says the activist of the Association ‘EKO Akcija’ Anes Podic.
If we know that the last law was passed in 2003, and that the last changes were made in 2010, it becomes clear how much was needed to pass this law, which should soon come into force”.
On the other hand, the challenge is its implementation. Inspections exist only on paper. They are managed by party cadres, so they are more susceptible to influence, say Eco Action. Not to mention political awareness.
“In order for this law to be implemented, the adoption of over 20 by-laws is foreseen. The deadline is one year. Unfortunately, our experience with the Federal Ministry of Environmental Protection can take a very long time. Some by-laws for the laws passed in 2003 were never passed,” adds Podic.
And there are no penalty points. However, apart from the lack of political will, as well as the undeveloped awareness of citizens in BiH about the importance of environmental protection, almost nothing is being invested. And, a healthy environment is a task that we also have on the European path. To compare, when the Czech Republic joined the bloc, it allocated one billion euros a year to solve the issue of a healthy environment. The money spent in BiH for these purposes is not even a thousandth of this amount, concludes our interlocutor, n1 writes.
E.Dz.
