Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 31/ Trend, N. Umid
The National Iranian South Oilfields Company (NISOC) has so far allocated $191.5 million (based on official rate of 24,955 rials per each USD) to fight dust storms, Managing Director of NISOC, Hamid Bovard said, SHANA news agency reported.
He made the remarks during a meeting with the head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organisation, Massoumeh Ebtekar.
Bovard underlined that the company has taken effective steps to decrease environmental pollution.
Yesterday Iranian media outlets quoted Ebtekar as saying at least 23 Iranian provinces are currently being affected by dust storms.
The capital city of Tehran was affected by dust storms for 117 days during the last solar year (ended on March 21), ISNA quoted Tehran Province's Environment Department director Mohammad-Hadi Heidarzadeh as saying.
He also went on to note that despite in the past the sources of the dust storms were from abroad, currently the main sources are inside the Province.
According to Iranian media outlets, the dust clouds were brought on by wind storms from Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
In February, the Iranian Ministry of Health announced that each year 80,000 people in Iran die of environmental pollution which is 21 per cent of the overall annual death rate percentage in Iran.