Air Pollution Forces Closure of Elementary Schools in Tehran Again

Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday, January 7, that elementary and preschool schools in most parts of Tehran province will be closed on Sunday due to air pollution. This decision was made during a meeting of the Tehran Air Pollution Emergency Committee on Saturday. According to Mehr News Agency, only elementary schools, preschools, and kindergartens in the cities of Damavand, Pardis, and Firuzkuh are exempt from this decision and will remain open on Sunday. Additionally, based on other resolutions from the emergency committee, a traffic plan will be implemented in the odd-even zones of Tehran on Sunday, and due to the "accumulation of pollution" caused by the persistent stability of the air on Sunday and Monday, sand and gravel mines in Tehran will also be closed on Sunday. In this regard, ISNA news agency quoted the Deputy of Urban Development of Tehran Province as saying that the traffic zone in Tehran will be expanded to the odd-even zone until 7 PM, and these traffic restrictions will be applied "both on Sunday and Monday." Hassan Karimi added that if air pollution persists, a decision will be made regarding the closure of schools on Monday. Earlier on Thursday, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency of Tehran Province had predicted that, referencing the meteorological organization's forecast regarding the stability of Tehran's air from the beginning of this week, the activities of sand and gravel units would stop on Saturday. Nasser Mehrdadi also stated that the sale of daily permits for entering the traffic zone of the capital would be suspended from Saturday, January 7, to Tuesday, January 10. In recent weeks, air pollution has led to the closure of schools in various cities, including Tehran, Tabriz, Karaj, and some cities in Khuzestan Province. In this context, Iqbal Shakri, a member of the Tehran City Council, stated on November 16 that "closing schools is the most unplanned action to reduce air pollution" and disrupts the lives of citizens. Mr. Shakri criticized the executive officials, especially the Ministries of Health, Roads, Labor, Environment, the Governorate, and Tehran Municipality, for their negligence regarding the "psychological and health damages inflicted on the people" and urged the government to "use the JCPOA" to solve issues such as "purchasing 1000 wagons, 400 buses, 20,000 new taxis, and also buying electric motorcycles." Conversely, the governor of Tabriz recently acknowledged that "closing schools is not a solution to air pollution" and stated that this action is "a mandatory decision to consider the health of sensitive segments of society." This official evaluated the "best way" to help reduce air pollution as "the cooperation of people in minimally using personal vehicles" and "adhering to a proper energy consumption pattern," urging "each citizen" to feel responsible in this regard. In this context, the air quality in Tehran, Tabriz, and Ilam is in the red status, with continued worsening of air pollution in Tehran; warning status in Mashhad, Tabriz, and Karaj. The air in Tehran remains in the red status.