Polish city records worst air pollution in the world as winter smog descends

Kraków yesterday had the worst air quality of any major city in the world, according to an international pollution ranking, as much of Poland chokes in this winter’s first major wave of the country’s annual smog problems.

The IQAir ranking yesterday morning recorded Kraków with a figure of 264, ahead of Lahore (250) and New Delhi (191). Wrocław was in fourth place, with 181. Values up to 100 are acceptable, while 151 to 200 us “unhealthy”, and 201+ “very unhealthy”.

In response to the dangerous levels of air pollution, Kraków issued a warning to its residents to avoid physical exertion, spending unnecessary time outdoors, and opening windows. The city also offered free public transport to discourage people from using cars.

The situation is not much better today, with Kraków still in the top ten. The other Polish city listed, Warsaw, has also topped the table in recent days. Poland is regularly found to have some of the EU’s worst air, with the pollution causing tens of thousands of premature deaths each year.

Kraków has in recent years taken a number of steps to tackle its smog problem. In 2019, it became the first city in Poland to ban the burning of coal and wood. But activists note that smaller surrounding towns and villages continue to burn low-quality coal and other fuels.

The resultant ring of pollution around the city – often labelled the “Kraków obwarzanek” in reference to the popular local bagel-type bread – often affects the air in Kraków too.

Andrzej Guła from Polish Smog Alert, a group that campaigns for measures to improve Poland’s air, says that he is seeking legal advice on suing the municipalities close to Kraków for not doing enough to improve air quality.

“What’s been going on for several days in Kraków…is a tragic consequence of years of neglect in the battle with smog. So what if Kraków has eradicated burners and put huge money in…if the authorities of surrounding municipalities do nothing or very little to deal with the toxic air?” said Guła, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza.

The mayor of Kraków, Jacek Majchrowski, has appealed for anti-smog initiatives to be stepped up outside of the city.

“Only concrete actions involving exchanging heat sources and implementation of laws will contribute to an improvement in the air quality”, he wrote in a letter to the Krakow Metropolis Association, a network of surrounding municipalities.

Meanwhile, the Małopolska Province, of which Kraków is the capital, yesterday approved an additional 60 million zloty (€13 million) for the air protection programme, from which replacement of old burners is funded.

“Małopolska needs the process of exchanging stoves for more efficient, environmentally friendly energy sources to be accelerated,” said Witold Kozłowski, the marshal of the province, quoted by Gazeta Krakowska.

“As we aware that many of the region’s residents have not yet decided to exchange their furnace or insulate their home, we decided to support the programme by earmarking additional funds,” he said. “The level of pollution we have been observing in Małopolska and especially Kraków in the last few days vindicates this decision.”

Main image credit: airly.org (screenshot)

Ben Koschalka

Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.