January 31st marks No Tobacco Day. Launched in 1982 as a way to alert the public to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, this day is now celebrated across the region. This year, activists from the “Klima Bez Dima” (“Environment Without Smoke”) initiative decided to organize an action in Mostar to commemorate the occasion.
70 young Bosnians were surveyed about the causes of pollution. Half responded that they throw away glass bottles without ever thinking about where the waste will end up. Around 92% of respondents believe that there are not enough dumpsters for the various types of garbage near the places they live.
Nuclear waste from the Krško Power Plant might soon end up on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina where the construction of a repository was announced, causing fear among citizens of both countries.
Although it is known as “The Green City”, Banja Luka shows that human negligence is overriding the willingness and efforts of the citizens and institutions in charge of maintaining the city. In certain places, one can see examples that are contradictory to the city’s other nickname “The Beauty on the Vrbas River”.