Ida Ismail
A city that is choking on smoke and noise
If you walk from "Zogu i Zi" towards Lake Park, you feel something change, your breath becomes lighter, the sky a little clearer, while in the center, smoke and noise surround you like a heavy blanket.
Aida, an old resident of Tirana, complains that there is no peace anymore: "I can't open the windows, the house feels like a plastic bag, filled with smoke and noise." And it's not just Aida who feels it, but thousands of Tirana citizens who have forgotten what a day with clean air and a night without noise looks like.
How polluted is Tirana? The numbers speak for themselves…
A group of experts from “Co-Plan” have measured the air quality at 13 different points in the capital. Carbon dioxide, fine particles PM2.5 and PM10 and nitrogen dioxide are present above healthy norms. Especially PM2.5, this “invisible enemy” is particularly dangerous, it enters the lungs and brings various problems, especially for children and the elderly. The most problematic areas are “Zogu i Zi”, “Rruga e Kavajës”, “Kryqëzim 21 Dhjetorit” and “Pazari i Ri”.
Measurements performed by KTA and comparison with international standards
And if you think that maybe it's not that bad, the National Environment Agency (NEA) itself admits that PM10 particles are very close to the danger limit. What about PM2.5?
For noise levels, LAeq during the day and night, according to measurements conducted by the NEA, show an average noise level.
Doctors sound the alarm: Asthma and allergies on the rise
Allergist Blerta Lame says that the number of patients is increasing every day. "Asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung diseases have become normal for many tyrants," she says. It is no longer surprising to see children with inhalers in their bags or elderly people living on oxygen tanks.
"Fresh" promises
Remember the promises? Hybrid buses, “orbital forest”, “My Tirana” all sound nice on TV, but on the streets of Tirana? “Hybrid” buses run on diesel, forests remain on paper and the app to check air quality? Turned off, like many other things. Out of 300 buses, only 15 are “different” in theory, but in practice, they pollute like all the others. And instead of taking us safely to our destination, they often make headlines for accidents.
What does the Municipality of Tirana say?
The municipality says it is working hard. The New Boulevard with the addition of green areas, landscaped squares, the orbital forest, all to improve the air we breathe. But even they themselves admit that this work is more of a battle than a project. Environmental laws are weak, investments in clean energy are scarce, and more coordinated efforts are needed from the public and private sectors in implementing environmental protection policies.
EC progress/report on Albania: More efforts needed for the environment
Even the European Union, in its reports, reminds us that we need to do more. Air monitoring is poor and the quality of life is declining. And while we listen to speeches, smoke and noise accompany us every day. The promises? Yes, they are there, but the solutions seem to have gotten stuck in Tirana's traffic.
Living in Tirana today is like choosing between two poisons: Pollution that takes your breath away and noise that takes your mind away. And when offices only make promises and the air becomes heavier, every day without action is one less day for our health.
Faced with air and noise pollution, the citizens of Tirana live every day with uncertainty about their health and quality of life, while institutions, apart from constant promises, seem to be far from concrete solutions. The increase in cases of diseases as a result of polluted air and noise and the failure to take any measures is an alarm bell that should not be ignored.
