World’s worst air in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek | DW News

This month the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek has topped rankings for air pollution on several days, overtaking Chinese cities which often lead the list. The central Asian city only has around a million inhabitants, but for several years now, it has been choked in smog for several months over the winter, when many in the city heat their homes with coal fires. And with the coronavirus pandemic hitting the country's economy hard, the thick smog seems to hang even thicker.

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[sand_storm]

Me in Bishkek: *[chuckles]* I’m in danger

[progressingpilgrim]

Let me try to explain the situation as someone who lives in Bishkek. Bishkek is surrounded by residential areas where most of the people burn coal in the winter. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, people just started to move to Bishkek and turn lands around the small city into residential areas. Urbanization process, you know. Reason: unemployment. The city council did not have any plans to build infrastructure (roads, parks, sewage system, heating system etc) in these areas. The city just watched and didn't help at all in many cases. I am talking about dozens of residential areas. What can people do? They just build sewage systems, make roads, draw electricity etc to improve their habitat on their own. But building a centralized heating system is too expensive for them. So the government failed to foresee that this was inevitable. What can we do? Use the Russian gas that costs around 25 cents per cubic meter and spend all the monthly income on heating the house. Building a centralized heating system is not an option because these areas do not have flats, but single houses. Tens thousands of them.
So Europeans, bring to our country some good ideas and technology to solve the issue! :)😁😁 But make sure you avoid our corrupt government. 🤣🤣🤣

[bexsonline]

Very good channel! All words in this video is true!
I'm from Kyrgyzstan.
And all information in this video trustable

[armanxh]

I can't believe it's not Sarajevo.

[GetOutsideYourself]

Ulaan Baator in Mongolia is about the same. Some hotels don't give you control of the room temp and when you open the window to let some cool air in you just about choke. So it's either bake or choke. But you definitely don't want to walk around outside.

[kurmanjanorozbekova]

My pity country Kyrgyzstan, when will you grow up, develop :(, number 1 in the world from air pollution :(. I hope for bright future.🤲🇰🇬

[MinhajMalik]

It's called an inversion layer, the smoke is just trapped in the lower atmosphere.

[dmsagaidak]

Private houses use not only coal but rubber, plastic and different sorts of garbage for heating up. There is another source of pollution: cars. More and more people in Bishkek buy cars, mostly ones produced in 1990's and 2000's and use petrol of poor quality.

[DeidaraC]

You guys really really need to come to Serbia. We only have clear air when Gods of Wind decide to bless us.

[sumitpandey]

It is because govt. provided home-heating service is very costly and that is why people use alternative methods which comes at fraction of its cost.

[Robin.Burke-Optical_Collusion]

A common practice in the west in the years that coal was being phased out was to burn the coal for a short time at a power plant away from a city, send the electricity & then bag up the partially used coal once it comes & ship it to the cities. Generally this type of coal is called smokess coal. Its somewhat similar to charcoal regarding less smoke. Of course coal containing high levels of sulphur was also banned in European cities after hundreds died in London during a winter in the mid 1950s, there was a lot of fog & humidity that year but no wind to clear it. The sulphur in the smoke mixed with the air moisture and turned into Sulphuric Acid! People's mouths, throats & lungs burned when they went out & breathed in this air. Many simply dropped dead in the street & at first it wasn't clear what killed them!

[tbz]

1:42 Explain how they can’t know in 2020? 😂😂 You mean they don’t want to officially admit the reason, which any informed person can easily see.

[realm]

Kabul must be the most polluted city. With a population of around 4 millions and very weak medical infrastructure, it is dangerous.

[ipitythefoolalouette]

I Love DW and appreciate every video, but this one lacks something. You talk about pollution, price of coal but you do not give any number to make us understand the extent of the issue.

[darkmatter]

And to think they are not too far from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan which have huge gas deposits.

[subhashishbagchi]

If this is the example of worst air quality in Bishkek
than what would you like to say about the air quality of Delhi with 29 million residents??

[ТалантбекЖоробеков-нь]

Революция митинг пикет боюнча да 1орундабыз.Пенсияны болок олко толойт.Мамлекет барбы озу бизде?

[aakele]

Deuche Welle forgot to mention that 75% of smog comes from old used cars, imported from Germany and other developed countries. Especially old diesel Mersedes minibuses which are used as public transportation. Kyrgyzstan must ban imports of old cars!

[youknowmyfirstlastname]

The smoke from cars not from coal heating plants. You showing is evaporation of water

[KT-xdyt]

This was an interesting news piece. I hope they find a solution