Air quality was “good” for only four days in the past one year (February 2021-22), charts published by Tehran Air Quality Control Company’s website, Airnow.tehran.ir, show.
Also, 251 days turned out to be moderate, 105 days remained unhealthy for sensitive groups and seven days were recorded as unhealthy.
The index categorizes air conditions according to 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).
TAQCC indicates that “good” status was not recorded for a single day from Jan. 11 to Feb. 9.
Statistics show that “moderate” status was recorded on 17 days, as AQI hovered between 51 and 100 during the period.
Unfortunately, sensitive groups in Tehran suffer most from its toxic air. They were advised to limit their outdoor activities on 14 days, since AQI hovered between 101 and 150, marking an unhealthy status for the group.
Children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory and cardiovascular problems, all of whom fall in the sensitive group, are classed as sensitive.
High density of PM2.5 (the particulate matters smaller than 2.5 micrometers) and PM10 have been the main culprits behind the polluted days in December and February.
Comparative Data
Month-on-month comparisons also show that Tehran’s air was duller on December 11, 2021-Jan. 10 compared to Jan. 11-Feb. 9.
The charts illustrate that AQI did not enter the range of “good” air quality even for a day, as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” status prevailed during the period, with the index remaining between 101 and 150 for 22 days.
Air condition was moderate on eight days, as AQI hovered between 51-100.
The AQI review during the year-ago month shows air quality in Tehran has deteriorated significantly.
From Jan. 10, 2021, to Feb. 8, 2021 (last year’s corresponding period), moderate air quality condition was registered on 13 days, but the index remained increasingly unhealthy for the sensitive group on 13 days, compelling the authorities to warn them of outdoor exposures and six days recorded the unhealthy with the index remaining between 151 and 200.
AQI neither hit the emergency button nor came down to good quality status.
One-Third of Tehran Cars Fail to Receive Technical Inspection Seal
One-third of automobiles in Tehran failed emission and safety tests during the current Iranian year’s first eight months (March 21-Nov. 21), Tehran’s Vehicle Technical Inspection Bureau announced.
Hossein Moqaddam, CEO of the bureau, noted that during the period under review, 1.05 million vehicles visited the capital's technical inspection centers, 792,000 of which were under four years old and underwent their first technical check, ISNA reported.
“Thirty-one percent of the cars, numbering 325,500, were rejected,” he said.
High emission levels were detected in 14%, wheel misalignment in 9%, shock absorber failure in 4%, brake system problems in 11% and appearance issues were detected in 14% of the tests.
The official said 753,000 technical certificates have been issued, of which 601,000 were regular and 152,000 were premium.
“During the period under review, 2,575 heavy-duty vehicles have also undergone road tests, out of which 22% did not have the mandatory technical certificate and 19% of all tested vehicles failed to meet the minimum test standards,” he added.
Since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21), 645 trucks have been fined for their substandard condition.
Moqaddam said commercial vehicles were subjected to tests in collaboration with Tehran’s traffic police in November 2018 to curb the suffocating air pollution in the metropolis.
Effects on Air Quality
Vehicles that do not meet local emission and safety standards spew poison into the air, harm people’s health and damage the environment.
Tehran Municipality’s Transportation and Traffic Organization has estimated that air pollution in the capital costs $2.6 billion annually.
Air quality in the capital is worsening, with the increasing number of faulty vehicles and almost zero efforts for scrappage.
According to Amir Ahmadi, secretary of the Association for Scrappage and Recycling Centers, the number of dilapidated vehicles on Tehran's streets has reached 3.5 million and is expected to hit 8 million in four years, if no scrappage is carried out.
Earlier in October, he told reporters that the state's Scrappage Scheme has been abandoned for more than three years due to mismanagement and tactlessness, resulting in the closure of over 220 scrappage centers across the country.
The plan was proposed in tandem with the implementation of the Clean Air Act, a 35-article bill drafted by Iran's Department of Environment and enacted into law in July 2017. Unfortunately, the act was never fully implemented.
Elaborating about the act, Ahmadi stated that CAA considers two sources of air pollution, mobile and stationary, offering solutions for each and involving several executive entities in implementing the remedies.
The official emphasized that as a consequence of canceling the scheme, hundreds of workers were laid off due to the closure of scrappage centers.
“Additionally, the age-old, technically-flawed vehicles exacerbate road traffic, worsen air pollution and increase fuel consumption. These outcomes even worsen in the cold season due to the temperature inversion,” he added.
Ahmadi urged the government to reorganize the executive units and resume the Scrappage Scheme, pointing to the fact that the project’s revival requires the active collaboration of Roads Ministry and the Department of Environment.
