Dhaka was able to push Skopje out of the AQI list as the world’s most polluted city, indicating that with the coming warmer weather the Macedonian capital may have survived the worst of the 2018-19 season of extreme air pollution.

On the AQI list index, Skopje was today seen as only the second worst polluted city in the world, behind Dhaka and ahead of Sarajevo, Chongqing and Beijing.

Air pollution in Macedonia over the winter is mostly tied to the use of wood, coal and even rubber and plastics for heating, which contributes to remarkably high concentrations of PM10 particles. The past few days were warmer in Skopje, reducing the use of solid heating fuel, but a cold snap is expected over the weekend, which may lead to a new spike in air pollution.