Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 21
By Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
Use of poor-quality gasoline that does not meet standards is the main reason for air pollution in Tehran and other cities of Iran, head of Iranian Environmental Protection Organization, Masoumeh Ebtekar said on Jan. 21, Iranian Mehr News Agency said.
Ebtekar made the remarks during a meeting held at the Tehran city council.
She advised the families having sick and elderly members and little children to leave Tehran in order to protect them from air pollution.
"We are all concerned about the state of sick children, and the quickest way out of this situation is a departure from Tehran," she said.
According to the statistical data from Tehran's Air Quality Control Company the air in Tehran was clean only for two hours in the last 25 days, and on other days the air pollution has reached a critical level, Iranian media outlets said.
All institutions, organizations and schools in Tehran, Rey and Shmiran declare holidays at different times due to extreme air pollution.
NYC Partnership Consulting - an international rating agency - published a list of the most polluted world cities in early 2013. The company's experts, comparing 245 major cities and capitals, prepared a list of 30 cities. The level of air pollution, drinking water suitability level, the level of medical services, and the presence of infectious diseases were taken into account during the preparation of this list. Tehran ranks 29th on the list.
Air pollution has also reached a critical level in Karaj, Isfahan, Mashhad and Tabriz.
Translated by E.A.
Edited by C.N.