Clean Air Act Regulations Ready for Enactment

The National Climate Change Office at the Department of Environment has submitted seven sets of regulations related to the Clean Air Act to the government for approval.

The 35-article Clean Air Act drawn up by DOE as an integrated approach to curb air pollution was passed by the parliament on July 16, 2017, after gathering dust in the previous Majlis for over a year, IRNA reported.

However, its full enactment depends on the relevant organizations' preparation of regulations.

The DOE has been the first entity to prepare and submit regulations regarding the law.

Masoud Zandi, the director of National Climate Change Office, hoped that other organizations will submit their regulations as soon as possible, although the process may be time-consuming.

Zandi pointed to the advantages of the new law, saying that "it fully clarifies each administration's duties for curbing air pollution".

The act singles out inefficient vehicles, substandard fuels, industrial activities and dust storms as the major sources of air pollution in the country.

It tasks different administrations, including DOE's office for human environment, the Ministry of Interior and Tehran Municipality, with specific actions in line with the objective.

"The act, for instance, specifies a mechanism for scrapping dilapidated polluting vehicles, tasking the government to allocate a budget for the measure," the official said.

Focusing on the recent dust storms lashing several parts of the country, the Ministry of Agriculture is committed to taking anti-desertification measures annually on 300,000 hectares of dust storm hotspots.

The act also proposes more frequent technical inspections of private vehicles. While the current law stipulates technical inspection of all vehicles once every five years, the DOE is pushing for biennial checks.

The bill is expected to help alleviate the problem, but a lot more needs to be done to effectively address the worsening problem.

According to the World Health Organization and Iran’s Health Ministry, air pollution in Iran’s mega cities has been linked to more than 80,000 premature deaths annually.