Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.5 /Trend F.Milad/
Some 40 industrial units including cement and tar production units were temporarily shut in Iran's capital Tehran due to alarming level of air pollution, Deputy Head of Iran's Environment Protection Organization (IEPO) Ali-Mohammad Shaeri said on Wednesday.
Tehran cement factory is also allowed to use just 40 percent of its capacity until further notice, the Mehr News Agency quoted Shaeri as saying.
Schools, universities and government offices are closed in Tehran on Tuesday and Wednesday because of high air pollution, while the hospitals and banks remained open.
The residents were also advised by the officials to avoid unnecessary travels.
Levels of pollution caused mainly by vehicle fumes have risen in the past few days in Tehran and some other big cities. The problem is at its worst in the capital because of its location wedged between two mountains where polluted air becomes trapped.
IRNA new Agency reported that schools and universities in Arak, main city of the Markazi province, had been closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Authorities in Tehran often order the closure of schools and government offices in autumn, when the air is stiller and high pollution levels cause health problems.