Half of January has passed and air pollution charts continue to see “Red” on all days in Tehran, as the concentration of toxins hits worrying levels and officials drag their feet.
Air Quality Index has been riding an upward trajectory over the past four days and reached 170 on Tuesday, Tasnim News Agency reported.
According to Air Quality Control Company, during the past two weeks, eight days were marked as unhealthy for all citizens.
On Tuesday, Hossein Shahidzadeh, the head of AQCC, declared that the condition is expected to persist for at least four more days.
Shahidzadeh said air pollution is the top problem of the capital’s citizens.
“This a multidimensional issue that cannot be solved by one entity. A wise collective effort is required to alleviate the deteriorating condition,” he said.
Underlining the importance of implementing the Clean Air Act in curbing pollution, he said unfortunately numerous overt and covert pressures are impeding the execution of the rule.
The 35-article CAA, drawn up by Iran’s Department of Environment and passed by the parliament in July 2017, has been gathering dust for years and its full enactment appears far-fetched.
Going into the act’s details, Shahidzadeh said CAA discusses two aspects of air pollution, namely mobile and stationary sources of pollutants, offering solutions for each.
He noted that both lawmakers and the executive branch should consider the fact that saving the environment extend beyond the present time and more pertinent to future generations.
“Such primary issues should be placed high on the agenda and all the factors directly or indirectly endangering the environment should be taken more seriously,” he added.
The official emphasized that breathing toxic emissions annually costs Tehran’s residents a total of $2.6 billion, which means air pollution is inflicting a loss of $300 on each resident.
Air pollution-related deaths in Iran have reached 12,000 per annum, over 4,000 of which are recorded in the capital, “which means that toxic air claims the lives of 11 people per day in Tehran”, Shahidzadeh said.
The population of the capital city was over 8.6 million, according to the last census conducted by the government in 2016.
The financial and health damage can be significantly curbed if officials employ a workable solution for the issue, he added.
Blame Game
In the absence of a comprehensive solution and a lack of official determination, urban managers are facing the public ire over the suffocating air pollution in the capital.
Amid the news of widespread use of low-quality mazut in power stations, bureaucrats are scapegoating the public and waging blame games.
Last week, Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said because of fuel shortage, refined diesel and mazut have been delivered to power plants.
“This is not a favorable option. The primary fuel source for the plants is Euro-7 diesel, but to fill the gap and keep the plants running, mazut is being used,” he said.
Just like many other officials, Zanganeh also blamed the public for the high gas and electricity use, stressing that lower consumption can lift the pressure on power plants and reduce their mazut consumption.
This is while the recurrent lockdowns over the coronavirus outbreak have led to the closure of universities, schools, restaurants and reception halls, and forced workers to work from home, which should naturally cause a drop in energy consumption. So, the public believe the surge in gas and electricity use is linked to exports and bitcoin production.
Instead of addressing these speculations, Zanganeh blames the smog on temperature inversion that frequently occurs in winter and lack of public cooperation.
“The general public can greatly help curb the situation by minimizing private car use and turning down heating systems,” he recommends.
Critics believe that the problem is rooted in the inherent corruption that prioritizes everything over citizens’ lives and health.
However, bureaucrats have mastered the art of shifting the responsibility.
Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi recently said Tehran Municipality should not be blamed for the toxic air pollution, as other agencies are in charge of decisions giving rise to the problem.
“Curbing air pollution is a comprehensive task involving 19 executives and legislative institutions, and Tehran Municipality’s share of duty and authority is the smallest,” he said.
Earlier, speaking in a Tehran City Council session, Mohammad Alikhani, the head of the council’s Transportation Commission, said the ministries of interior, oil, roads, energy, industries and health, along with Department of Environment, the Traffic Police and the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran are all tasked with monitoring and controlling air pollution.
“But they have almost failed to fulfill their responsibility in this regard,” he said.
AQI on Highs
TAQCC says besides the eight days of suffocating air condition in Tehran, AQI was recorded unhealthy for the sensitive group on three days.
The group includes elderly, children, pregnant women, cardiovascular and respiratory patients. These vulnerable citizens were warned to limit their outdoor activities to avoid exposure to the toxic air.
AQI categorizes conditions dictated by a measure of polluting matters into good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy for sensitive groups (101-150), unhealthy (151-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (301-500).
Moderate air condition was seen only on two days, during which the index remained between 51 and 100 and good air condition is fading away from memories.
The air condition was also not favorable last month either.
TAQCC shows that the capital’s residents inhaled more polluted air in December compared with the month last year.
The month ended with two consecutive highly polluted days when the AQI hit emergency levels.
Monitoring stations in Tehran recorded unhealthy status for all citizens on Dec. 30-31, 2020, with the index hovering between 167 and 168.
Air quality was unhealthy for the sensitive group for 23 days in the month, standing between 101 and 150.
In the six remaining days, the index remained in moderate state; AQI did not fall under the 50 threshold even for a day.
The AQI review during the year-ago months shows air quality in Tehran is getting worse year-by-year.
In December 2019, harmful air quality status was recorded on three days and the maximum AQI did not exceed 157.
Sensitive groups were warned to cut their outdoor exposure on 15 days and AQI stood between 51 and 100 in the remaining 13 days, showing a moderate status.
Analyses illustrate that the pollutant responsible for the toxic index recorded in all polluted days was PM2.5—the finest deadly particulate matters released into the air.
Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone, PM2.5 and PM10 (atmospheric particulate matters that have a diameter of less than 2.5 and 10 micrometers respectively) are measured to determine air quality. AQI figures are calculated as per the concentration of pollutants.
