January the 17th, 2021 - As a resident of Zagreb, there is a lot I can say I really love about the Croatian capital. Having lived for three years in Croatia's southernmost city of Dubrovnik, where over-tourism and infrastructure simply not being able to cope during summer is a constant issue, the ''everything at your fingertips'' offer Zagreb has (at least in comparison to the Pearl of the Adriatic) still succeeds in making my daily life feel easier even after over three years of living permanently in Zagreb. One thing which is very concerning for Zagreb residents, however, is the frequently very poor air quality.
Zagreb's fog is romantic and beautiful if you grew up in Northern Europe like I did, where the bright sunshine and sunburn of Dubrovnik isn't really the norm. The fog which clings heavily during the winter months causing the city I see from my balcony to turn into a blank white canvas isn't always as picturesque as it might seem, sometimes it's just smog. If you've ever spent any amount of time in London, you'll know that smog and fog are two quite different things indeed.
Just what type of air are we Zagreb residents actually breathing in? According to IQAir, it's far from the best. On Friday, it was the absolute worst.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, according to the IQAir air quality index, Zagreb residents breathed the worst air in the entire European Union on Friday. Zagreb has an unimpressive score of just 151, reports Vecernji list, which means that the air being taken into the lungs of Zagreb residents on a daily basis is very unhealthy indeed.
Bișkek in Kyrgyzstan, which of course isn't European Union member state, can ''boast'' of having some of the most deeply polluted air at the moment. In addition to the analysis of the air quality of cities, the Swiss site IQAir publishes air quality by neighbourhood.
They stated that the worst air quality in Zagreb can be found in the Laniste area. This lack of quality air will be especially felt by those who belong to more vulnerable groups and those who have chronic lung conditions. The Croatian Environment and Nature Agency also states on its website that the air quality in Zagreb is indeed very, very poor. Data on the high concentration of pollutants was recorded by the station of the national network for the continuous monitoring of air quality.
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