Air pollution will increase in the coming days in Iran’s capital Tehran, the official news agency IRNA quoted an official of the country’s meteorological organization as saying.
During the week, the government closed all schools in Tehran and adjacent regions till Sunday due to heavy smog. A brief rain cleared the air somewhat, but the new warning indicates the serious health hazard will not end soon.
The meteorological expert told IRNA that most of the country will experience calm atmospheric conditions in the coming week, which will contribute to rising air pollution, as particles will accumulate instead of getting dispersed by wind or rain.
Many Iranian cities suffer from a variety of pollution and smog problems, some due to natural phenomena, such as heavy sandstorms mixed with dangerous particles, or purely man-made reasons.
Iran has an aging car, bus and truck fleet because of a centralized economy that restricts competition in manufacturing and imports.
Since 2011, first international sanctions and then U.S. sanctions imposed in last year have made Iran’s vow’s even worse.
Enforcement of environmental rules is also week, since almost all heavy industries, including oil production belong to the government or companies run by state entities., who use their influence to evade regulations.
Recently, Tehran’s mayor spoke of plans to evacuate the population if pollution reaches highly dangerous levels.
