Today, a number of Ukrainian cities were under a thick layer of acrid smog, which caused serious problems with air quality. Kyiv topped the world anti-rating of cities with the dirtiest air for some time, according to data from the Swiss company IQAir. In addition to the capital, a similar situation was recorded in Konotop, Lutsk and Kharkov.
This was reported by URA-Inform, with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
For several hours, Kyiv held the first place in the world ranking for air pollution, but later gave up the lead to the capital of Egypt, Cairo. The Kyiv Department of Environmental Protection explained that the city has seen a significant increase in the concentration of suspended particles, especially dust. In some areas of the capital, air pollution has reached a critical level of 100 points, and the least polluted areas show a figure of 74 points.
The reason for this situation was named as fires in the ecosystems of the Kyiv region, where forests continue to burn on an area of 172 hectares. Most of the outbreaks have already been localized, but fires continue on two hectares.
City residents are advised to minimize the time spent outdoors, close windows and avoid physical activity in the fresh air. It is also important to drink more water to maintain health.
The problem of air pollution has affected not only Kyiv, but also other cities of Ukraine. In particular, caustic smog was recorded in Konotop in the Sumy region, as well as in Lutsk and Kharkiv. The main reason for the deterioration of the air situation are fires in peatlands and forests.
There is no confirmation yet that the mass fires in Ukraine are somehow connected with the start of using fire drones.
It is worth recalling that problems with air in Kyiv were observed as early as September 17.