Industrial units that have worsened Tehran’s air quality over the past few years, will be moved out of the capital, ILNA reported.
The Department of Environment recently approved a plan to transfer the polluting plants to one of five satellite towns around the metropolis to help improve the quality of Tehran’s air, which is usually deemed “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by health professionals and meteorologists.
“The units will be moved out of Tehran according to a detailed plan,” said Hussein Hashemi, governor general of Tehran Province.
Hailing the environmental and economic benefits of the plan, he said centralizing industrial units will, among other things, help reduce air pollution and cut costs.
“Transporting raw material to factories will become easier, which will reduce expenses,” he said.
Environmental officials have repeatedly touted the advantages of relocating industrial units to designated areas, including a possible reduction in road accidents caused due to collision between passenger vehicles and trucks carrying industrial waste.
“Concentration of industrial units in certain areas can help reduce road accidents since there would be no need to transport industrial waste and byproducts through residential areas and inter-city roads,” Saeed Motessadi, deputy for human habitats at the DOE, was quoted as saying in August.
