The Majlis has ratified an amendment to the Clean Air Act that calls on the private sector to contribute to measures aimed at curbing the worsening air pollution.
In the past, the act only required state bodies to introduce measures to address the worsening pollution problem, local automotive website Asre Khodro reported.
Drawn up by the Department of Environment, as an integrated approach to check air pollution, the initial version of the Clean Air Act was passed by parliament in July 2017, after gathering dust in the previous legislature over a year. Since then the act has been amended several times in the hope of making it more effective.
The act has set standards for the quality of fuel and vehicles that can be sold in Iran and obliging car owners to take their vehicles for technical inspection every two years.
The recent amendment was ratified by parliament last week without much fanfare. As per the amendment, academic institutions and industrial zones should introduce measures that can help curb air pollution. After being ratified by the Majlis, these measures will be carried out by the private sector with the government’s support.
Parliament has also called on NGOs to help state bodies in drawing up measures that can address the air pollution crisis in a meaningful manner.
Independent observers insist that state bodies of various stripes obliged to implement programs based on the act have failed to deliver and residents in many urban areas across the country are still struggling with suffocating air pollution and the related health risks.
Air pollution in Iran's metropolises, especially in the winters, has been linked to premature death rates that exceed 13,000 annually.
