Tehran’s Department of Environment released a statement on Sunday urging residents of the sprawling capital to avoid demanding physical activities outdoors for the foreseeable future.
Tehran’s air quality index reached 131 on Sunday, more than twice the acceptable limit of 50 based on the World Health Organization guidelines, and has been hovering above 75 for the past week.
Last week, the capital’s unabating air pollution forced schools to cancel physical education classes for two days.
The sprawling capital is said to be home to around a third of the country’s industries, which add to the city’s unending pollution woes caused mainly by the five million vehicles that ply the overcrowded streets.
Since the onset of the cold season, the state-run radio and TV has been urging people to avoid the streets of the capital and stay indoors due to the dirty and polluted air. Schools have been cancelled for a total of seven days so far.
Other major cities have not been spared as they too continue to register high levels of air pollution coupled with particulate matter, smog and dust storms.
