Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 21
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri speaking at the 14 International Environment Exhibition in Tehran stated that 30 million Iranians are affected by air pollution, Fars news agency reported Feb. 21.
Pointing to major environmental problems such as drought and sand storms currently facing the country, he said that he recently held over 10 sessions with the Supreme Council on Water to find ways to tackle the problems.
The first vice president noted that dust storms have affected large parts of western Iran, but stressed that the problem was not created overnight, stating that the major part of the country's water is consumed in agriculture with low efficiency.
The latest dust storm swept western Iran in early February and hit Khuzestan Province worst. As a result, local schools, universities, and governmental offices were closed, literally crippling life in the area.
In recent years, dust storms in the western part of Iran have grown in frequency and density. They have on occasions caused people serious respiratory problems.
He said that the main sources of the dust storms are in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and asserted that cooperation with those countries is needed to cope with the problem.
Jahangiri cited measures in recycling old cars and importing hybrid vehicles as examples of good efforts made to reduce air pollution.
Tehran and other major Iranian cities have been hit by air pollution several times over the past months and old cars count for a major portion of the pollution.
He maintained that the government has no major plans underway on constructing dams or roads that would go without preliminary environmental studies.