Currently, the Sofia Municipality, represented by Mayor Vasil Terziev, is inactive, no measures are being taken to ensure that people are adequately warned and that the necessary measures are taken to reduce air pollution in Sofia.
This was stated to journalists by the municipal councilor from GERB/SDF Anton Hekimyan. Since the end of last year until today, seven days with poisonous air have been recorded in Sofia. Four of them have exceeded the norms by almost two times, and three of them have exceeded the norms for fine dust particles (FPM) 10 per cubic meter by much more than two times, said Hekimyan. The leaders were running a very active campaign, and over the years we have heard how GERB is to blame for the dirty air in Sofia, the municipal councilor pointed out.
The briefing of the GERB/SDF representatives was at an air quality measurement station near the “Lyubopitko” kindergarten. The data for yesterday were 164 micrograms at a norm of 50, the municipal councilor said. Hekimyan explained that they would want a hearing from the relevant deputy mayor. Terziev has gone into hiding, Terziev was supposed to be handing out gas masks to Sofia residents as Christmas gifts, Hekimyan said. We have heard all sorts of excuses that someone is always hindering them and sabotaging them, but no one is sabotaging them from taking measures related to the cleanliness of the air in the city, Hekimyan said. According to him, the authorities are “criminally inactive“.
The analysis of data from automatic measuring stations in Sofia in recent days shows a significant increase in the values of fine dust particles, said municipal councilor from GERB Anna Stoykova. At the same time, we are witnessing categorical inaction by the authorities, she said and asked why measures such as “green ticket“ and free buffer parking lots have not been introduced.
The level of air pollution in Sofia remains below critical, said Deputy Mayor for Ecology Nadezhda Bobcheva on January 3. Yesterday, the Sofia Municipality sent a recommendation to schools and kindergartens to limit children's outdoor time on January 8 due to a moderate excess of fine dust particles in the air.
The Sofia Municipality is not coping with the number of drivers in public transport, in order to make the profession attractive so that there are no problems with night public transport, said Anton Hekimyan on the occasion of a press conference in Sofia Municipality by the chairman of the group of “We continue the change-Democratic Bulgaria“ (“Save Sofia“) (PP-DB-SS) Boris Bonev, BTA reported. Night transport is far from the least efficient form of transportation in the city of all public public transport lines. The first line of night transport is the 12th most efficient line of public transport in terms of the number of passengers transported for the drivers who drive them. For the first six months of last year, passengers increased nearly three times – from 3,300 in January to 8,500 people in June, explained Boris Bonev. According to him, this trend continues in the second half of the year.