… and it’s working: Special Concrete Pavement,
Wood & Coal Furnaces Banned, Smog-Cleaning Tower,
& Planting of 25,000 Trees …
Kraków used to be the most polluted city in Poland, but air quality map shows Kraków lit up in green as battle against smog begins to take effect. Kraków used to be the most polluted city in Poland. Once notorious for having the worst smog in the whole of Poland, Kraków is now going through something of a “GREEN Renaissance”. Since the start of the heating season, the historic city can now boast being a green island on the air pollution map, thanks to significant investments and new regulations.
As the heating season continued, polluted air from nearby town and villages, which are not obligated to follow Kraków’s example, were blown to the city. Kraków isn’t giving up though, with new initiatives, such as 2018’s smog cleaning tower, being announced. Now, despite the beginning of colder season, the air quality map reflects the perfect city air quality.
Ban on burning wood and coal in heating stoves: The local authorities introduced the ban in September 2019, and the law is starting to show its first effects. Introduced together with considerable funding to replace old, coal furnaces in houses, the ban allowed the inhabitants to turn to more ecological means of heating. However, this success is only a battle won, not the entire war.
A new anti-smog pavement is being constructed in front of the Kraków University of Technology on Pawia street. The pavement will break down harmful compounds from exhaust fumes thanks to a special concrete mix. The 150-meter long pavement will break down harmful compounds from exhaust fumes thanks to a special concrete mix—”green concrete”. Magdalena Wasiak, City Road Authority (ZDM)-Kraków, told Polish Press Agency (PAP), “At first glance, the paving stones laid in this place are not different than standard ones. The secret lies in the admixture of titanium oxide, which, with the help of sun rays, breaks down harmful compounds from car exhaust gases, including nitrogen oxides into harmless substances, which together with rainwater are rinsed to the ground.”
Although the construction of anti-smog sidewalks may cost 15-20% more than regular concrete pavements, measurements carried out in Western Europe have proved that areas with the “green concrete” show 30% lower nitrogen dioxide concentration compared to ordinary surfaces.
25,000 trees will be planted by the city to celebrate Olga Tokarczuk’s literary Nobel Prize she won
“for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”
The new forest will be named ‘Primeval’, after one of her novels.
The local authority will team up with residents to plant oaks, lindens and beech trees on October 29th. As the city informed in the press release, in the first sentence of the book we read, that Primeval is located in the centre of the universe: “Krakow as a UNESCO City of Literature is the centre of the literary universe, and Olga Tokarczuk has always played a key role in it.”
For “The First News” article, please go to: https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/krakow-introduces-raft-of-initiatives-to-combat-smog–and-its-working-8144
PHOTOS & Acknowledgment:
1 . Air quality map shows Kraków lit up in green as battle against smog begins to take effect: airly.eu
2. Kraków used to be the most polluted city in Poland: 4. A new anti-smog pavement of the Kraków University of Technology: 5. 25,000 trees will be planted in honor of Olga Tokarczuk winning the Nobel Prize for literature: