Continued Pollution and School Closures in Tehran and Several Provinces of Iran

A meteorological official predicted that several major cities in Iran, including Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Urmia, and Arak, will continue to experience stable conditions of polluted air until the end of this week. The Director General of Forecasting and Rapid Warning of Iran's Meteorological Organization, on Tuesday, December 27, stated this in an interview with the ISNA news agency. Ohad Vazifeh mentioned that "no significant wind is expected today and in the next three days in Tehran. Therefore, pollutants will remain in Tehran until Wednesday and even Thursday morning." He added that in Urmia, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Arak, the [unfavorable] weather conditions will persist until Wednesday of this week. According to this meteorological official, in West and East Azerbaijan, conditions for air ascent will be created with cloud growth from late Wednesday, thus reducing pollutant concentrations. He did not consider school closures to be a "fundamental solution" to the air pollution crisis and said, "It is better for our country to take cues from European countries in making fundamental decisions to solve the air pollution problem." On Tuesday, all schools in Tehran, Tabriz, and Urmia were closed due to air pollution. Meanwhile, the news network reported that due to air pollution, "restrictions have been imposed on residents of Tehran, Tabriz, Urmia, Arak, Mashhad, Karaj, and Isfahan." In Isfahan, a special working group on air pollution announced that elementary and preschool schools in Isfahan city and eight other counties in the province will be closed on Saturday, and this closure will also include secondary schools on Wednesday, December 29. In Alborz province, the Director General of the Environment reported that the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups in most cities of this province but stated that in Karaj, the air pollution was not at a level that would lead to school closures. However, residents of this province, especially sensitive groups, have been asked to stay home as much as possible. In Tehran, the emergency air pollution committee, in addition to closing schools in the city, approved the expansion of the traffic plan to the odd and even zones, implementing the odd and even plan from home entrances, banning the sale of traffic plans until the end of the week, halting construction activities and polluting factory operations, and restricting truck traffic except for waste and fuel trucks in the city until Wednesday, December 29. According to the committee's resolutions, all outdoor sports competitions have been canceled, businesses have been advised to close two hours earlier than usual, and offices must approve leave for working women and mothers. Except for the counties of Firuzkuh, Damavand, and Pardis, schools in other areas of Tehran province will also be closed on Tuesday, and outdoor sports activities have been banned. It has been announced that the match between Persepolis and Naft Abadan in the cup competitions will not be held. These decisions were made after the air quality in Tehran was declared unhealthy for sensitive groups for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday morning. According to the IRNA news agency, the Deputy for Monitoring and Environmental Assessment of Tehran province stated that the average concentration of suspended particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns in the air of this city "in the 24 hours leading up to 8 AM today, increased by four units to 147, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups." Mohammad Rastgari noted that the concentration of carbon monoxide also increased from 54 to 55 during this period, and the level of suspended particles with a diameter of less than 10 microns increased from 86 to 92 in the past 24 hours. The head of the traffic police emphasized that the most air pollution is caused by "fossil fuels" and that "the most important duties of the police regarding air pollution at present are to control vehicle inspections." Taghi Mehri, in an interview with ISNA, pointed out that 80% of vehicles in metropolitan areas are single-occupant and added that as long as we do not address the issue of fossil fuels "in terms of standards, the actions taken and the recommendations made by officials to reduce traffic in the city will only serve as temporary measures." Mr. Mehri further stated that "old vehicles consume twice as much fuel as new vehicles" and added that 74% of minibuses, 54% of urban buses, 42% of intercity buses, 38% of taxis and trucks, 22% of pickup trucks, 19% of government cars, and 3% of private cars are old. He announced the total number of old vehicles in Iran to be equivalent to 1.35 million units and added that "this number increases every year." According to the head of the police, to have cleaner air, we must change vehicle standards and added that while "manufacturers claim their vehicles consume seven liters per 100 kilometers, in reality, when they enter the cycle of activity, they consume more than 10 liters." Mr. Mehri identified motorcycles as another source of pollution in Iran, stating that "about 11 million motorcycles operate in the country, over 90% of which are carbureted." Citizens of Iran have been struggling with various air pollution issues in their cities for years, and every winter, due to cold weather and air inversion, pollution levels increase. Earlier, the Tasnim news agency reported, citing the head of the air health working group of the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, that 4,810 residents of Tehran died due to air pollution in 1995.