Tehran, Iran, Dec. 29
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran dismantled over 200,000 old cars in the first three quarters in the current Iranian calendar year (which started on March 21).
The figure is 5 times more than the same period previous year, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported on Dec. 29.
The head of Iran's the committee for transportation and fuel management, Alireza Fayyazbakhsh, said that 200,000 old cars' pollution is equal to that of 10 million Euro-4 standard vehicles.
"Each old car's pollution is 22 times more than Euro-2 vehicles and 50 times more than Euro-4 cars," he explained.
"In the previous years, the highest annual number of car dismantling was 250,000 cars, and the lowest was 72,000," Fayyazbakhsh said.
"We expect to dismantle over 250,000 cars in the current year," he noted.
Several Iranian cities, including capital Tehran, struggle with air pollution.
Last year, according to PSI (Pollutant Standards Index), Iran had 147 days during which air quality was substandard. Two years ago, this number stood at 217 days.
The air over Iran's capital, Tehran, is among the most polluted in the world. Experts say many Iranians suffer serious health problems as a result.
Motor vehicles account for 70 percent of pollution in the Iranian capital. Low quality gasoline and diesel is partially responsible for the problem.
Edited by CN