PHOTOS: Dalmatia turns red again as smoke pollution worsens air quality

Air quality in parts of Dalmatia improved on Monday after smoke from major wildfires in Bosnia and Herzegovina covered much of the region and sharply increased airborne particle levels a day earlier. Conditions in Split and western Split-Dalmatia County were better, but the situation remained dependent on the movement of smoke and wind.

Nenad Periš, head of the air, soil, waste and noise testing department at the Split-Dalmatia Public Health Institute, said the readings had returned to usual levels and no special measures were currently in force for people with respiratory problems. Smoke was still present around Vrgorac, he said.

Several stations nevertheless remained marked red on Croatia’s official air-quality portal, including Split-2, Split-3, Dubrovnik, Ploče Port and Dubrovnik Airport. The red label indicates poor air quality, but the PM10 and PM2.5 indexes use a rolling 24-hour average. A station can therefore remain red after current hourly concentrations have fallen substantially.

Data from Split-2 showed how quickly conditions changed. PM10 reached 144.30 micrograms per cubic meter at 11 a.m. on Sunday and stood at 119.07 at noon, before falling gradually to levels several times lower early Monday. The public health institute had warned that PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in Split, Trogir and the islands were several times above normal.

The Croatian Firefighting Association advised people to close windows and follow instructions from authorities when smoke levels rise. Extra caution was recommended for children, older people, pregnant women and people with chronic, respiratory or cardiovascular diseases. The smoke and smell of burning came from fires near Tomislavgrad, Bileća and Nevesinje, with a major fire affecting the Kupres, Tomislavgrad and Prozor-Rama area. Croatian Canadair aircraft were assisting firefighting efforts, while conditions had improved at some sites and the Tomislavgrad fire had affected about 14,000 hectares.

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The situation is much better today. There are currently no special measures in force for people with respiratory problems, given that the values are normal.