UNEP has opened two new air monitoring stations in Bosnia Herzegovina and brought two existing ones back to full function, in a move designed to help the country fight the silent killer of air pollution.

The two new stations are located in the cities of Prijedor and Gorazde. The locations were chosen by the country's Federal Hydro-meteorological Institute and the Republic Hydro-meteorological Service of the Republika Srpska so as to provide continuous monitoring in both urban and sub-urban environments.

The new and refurbished stations mean that accurate data will be available to monitor climate changes and announce pollution alerts to the general public. The country will also be able to gauge the impact of policy measures to improve air quality.

The move was announced at an event organised by UNEP with the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations at the country's Parliamentary Assembly on 19 January.

“These new devices form part of the first comprehensive network of air quality monitoring stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and offer a real example of how human health and environment are intrinsically linked,” said Jan Dusik, Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is now set to monitor climate and air quality in line with national and EU law after signing a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the bloc last year.

Together with policy measures, the move will significantly help the country and prevent further illnesses and deaths from outdoor pollution, which is estimated to have caused over 3500 premature deaths in the country during 2014.

For more information please click here or write to amina.omicevic@unep.org