A New Step Towards Cleaner Air

Improving Chimney Services in Canton Sarajevo

June 10, 2026

Person in jeans and brown boots on an outdoor platform, operating a tall pole tool with a round top. — UNDP

The Ministry of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of Canton Sarajevo, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched activities aimed at improving chimney sweeping services to strengthen oversight of household combustion systems, improve air quality and enhance public safety.

A significant number of individual household heating systems in Canton Sarajevo are currently not covered by a system of regular inspections and technical monitoring, making it more difficult to implement measures to reduce air pollution, improve energy efficiency and prevent fire hazards.

At the same time, the chimney sweeping sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina faces numerous challenges, including an insufficiently regulated legal framework, the lack of a systematic approach to the organization of chimney sweeping services, a shortage of qualified professionals, the absence of formal vocational education for chimney sweepers, and the lack of comprehensive records on chimneys, combustion systems and their condition.

Brick chimney on a sloped roof with blue-white smoke rising; trees and city in background. — UNDP

To address these challenges, the Ministry of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of Canton Sarajevo and UNDP are implementing a project that will assess opportunities for improving the organization of chimney sweeping services and integrating them into the system for monitoring emissions from household combustion systems.

The project will include an analysis of the current situation, the development of recommendations for an institutional and regulatory framework, and the preparation of technical guidelines for chimney and combustion system inspections, record-keeping, data collection and updating of information on household heating systems. It will also explore ways to link chimney sweeping services with emissions monitoring systems to support more effective air quality management.

Upon completion, the recommendations developed through the project will serve as a basis for the Ministry to further regulate this area and establish a more modern and efficient chimney sweeping system. This will contribute to improved oversight of household combustion systems, reduced emissions of air pollutants and a lower impact on air quality across Canton Sarajevo.