They banned cigarettes in cafes so our lung capacity would be greater to better absorb smog!

By: Rasim Belko @rasimbelko

Sarajevo has once again found itself on a prestigious list – this time as the fifth most polluted city in the world. Admittedly, this is one of the rare recognitions that the SDP, NiP, and Our Party authorities have not tried to sell us as their success. Because, hand on heart, for everything they promised, polluted air is perhaps the only thing that has remained constant.

While citizens breathe air of a quality equal to inhaling coal, the authorities have decided to act in their recognizable way – by banning cigarettes in enclosed spaces! Yes, because when your lungs are burning from smog, the most important thing is not to inhale cigarette smoke with your morning coffee. Moreover, you can freely inhale the 'scents' and cigarettes, if it is charged via USB.

Of course, they didn't stop there. In their desire to contribute to the quality of life, they decided to ban the operation of shopping malls and stores on Sundays. Because, the logic is clear: if citizens cannot shop as they are used to, there must be such a rush on Saturdays to inhale all the smog and poisons of Sarajevo's air. And then there is the option that the air will be better on Sunday, fewer cars on the roads for the unimpeded excursions of the do-gooders in power. And in any case, if citizens have nowhere to go on Sundays, they will not even notice how bad the situation is that day.

In the meantime, Sarajevo shows admirable resilience every day. Individual fireplaces defy modern technologies, traffic defies the laws of physics, and construction defies – well, any planning. And while the city is choked by its own smoke, it seems the authorities are choking – the citizens.

And where are the solutions? The authorities may have forgotten, but they promised to bring them quickly and permanently. They forgot to mention that they meant quick forgetting and permanent neglect.

Finally, instead of protests, we propose an alternative: submit Sarajevo to the Guinness Book of Records as the first city in the world where citizens survive thanks to their incredible lung capacity. Or, as our politicians would say – it is proof of the resilience of our people!

Because, why would we shop and smoke cigarettes with coffee on Sundays when the air is X times more effective, and with fewer cigarettes there will be more space in our lungs for PM10 and other toxic particles.