As is customary on the occasion marking National Clean Air Day in Iran on Jan. 19, urban managers and politicians of different stripes try to impress public opinion in more ways than one.
In drawing attention to air pollution in the overcrowded metropolises and underpin the role of public transportation, they often take the subway or cycle to work, albeit with the press and cameramen in close company.
As is common with politicians in most parts of the world, higher-ups in Iran also took to Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms to show how much they really care about clean air and fighting pollution!
On Instagram, Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi posted pictures of the capital on some very few good days when the air is clean, sky is blue and mountains can be seen.
He wrote, “We need to work every day to fight air pollution. Jan. 19 has been declared Clean Air Day. Symbolic moves are made on the occasion to attract attention to the overdue dream of every Tehran resident: a smog-free metropolis.”
Lamenting the deteriorating conditions in the sprawling capital, he noted, “Tehran is not in good shape and symbolic actions will not solve problems we have been struggling with for decades. Every resident, everyday of the week, can and should contribute to curbing air pollution.”
Pleading for Public Help
The mayor is of the opinion that the people can help by ditching their cars for daily commute and using public transportation. Hanachi appealed to car owners to get their vehicles checked and be certain about the mandatory technical and emission standards.
Turning to his peers and other urban decision-makers, Hanachi wrote, “Those in a position of power must work harder and relentlessly to expand public transportation and increase the people’s access to such services.”
After taking office last December, Hanachi joined the ‘Car Free Tuesdays’ campaign introduced in 2016, which encourages the people not to use private vehicles on Tuesdays. The mayor usually cycles to work on those days.
Marking the National Clean Air Day, Hanachi, who has been recommended by his physicians not to physically exert himself due to some health condition, uses a locally- developed electric bike to work.
Telecommuting
In 2015 in a symbolic gesture on National Clean Air Day, President Hassan Rouhani took the subway to work. The move was seen as a gesture to encourage the people to use public transport and do their fair share in curbing reducing the dirty air.
This year, ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi who is active on social media said on Twitter, “I took the subway to work today and will do so more frequently.”
He also called on his peers to use public transportation more often because in addition to promoting such services it can help them “feel the society’s pulse.”
In less than four hours more than 600 Twitter users commented on his post asking him about his experience.
The online job marketplace Ponisha commented on Jahromi’s tweet: “With modern technologies, people do not necessarily need to be in office to do their work. Remote working can also help curb air pollution.”
Another user censured the minister for “bragging about public transportation” asking him “Was this your first time on the tube?”
In response Jahromi wrote, “It wasn’t my first time but I have not been a frequent subway commuter. I wrote about it today, on the occasion of Clean Air Day, to promote the use of public transport.”
Jahromi was asked about the people’s reaction to his presence on the crowded metro. “They asked me ‘Why Telegram was blocked? Will Instagram get banned?’ Another young commuter recommended a book.”
Meaningful Action
While the people and environmentalist have always commended the simple act of taking the subway or cycling to work as a step in the right direction by officials, such moves, though far and few between, have almost always attracted their fair share of criticism and slammed as political theater.
Sepanta Niknam, a city councilor in Yazd since 2013, took to Twitter to write about the national occasion calling it “Clean Air Day show”.
“Today, the media will be inundated with pictures of urban managers using public transportation or cycling to work. This [political] theater will have no impact on the main sources of air pollution, namely poor quality vehicles, poor quality fuel and smog-inducing industries.”
Head of TM’s ICT Organization Mohammad Farjoud wrote on Twitter that since the current fiscal year started last March Tehranis saw the blue sky on a few days. “McKinsey Global Institute reports that by transforming metropolises into smart cities along with promoting application of smart online services carbon emissions can be curbed by 10-15%.”
Transforming Iran’s capital into a smart city has long been a priority of Tehran Municipality. Following a congress called 'Smart Tehran' held twice in the capital, efforts have become more focused to promote the application of modern technologies in urban development.
Transforming Tehran into a smart city will contribute to urban management and help resolve problems the city has been struggling with for decades, providing policy and decision-makers with timely and updated information from smart monitoring systems.
Startups, technology teams and knowledge-based firms, according to municipal bodies, play a key role in realizing the idea. The twitter account dedicated to Smart Tehran Congress reposted Farjoud’s comments as well, highlighting the importance of the move towards transforming metropolises into smart cities.
Tehran Air Quality
According to data released by Tehran Air Quality Control Company on airnow.tehran.ir, since the beginning of the current year (March 2018) until Jan. 19, Tehran barely had 18 days of 'good' air based on the Air Quality Index.
The AQI categorizes conditions based on the amount of polluting matters into good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy for sensitive groups (101-150), unhealthy (151-200), very unhealthy (201-300) hand hazardous (301-500).
Accordingly, 'moderate' air quality was almost dominant throughout the period, with the index standing between 51 and 100 on 238 days.
Detailed charts say the sensitive group, which comprises the elderly, pregnant women, children and those suffering from heart conditions and respiratory disorders, breathed in 'unhealthy' air condition for 49 days in Tehran.
