People, Environment
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Hope for Alborz 2-Day Weekend Scheme

Hope for Alborz 2-Day Weekend Scheme
Hope for Alborz 2-Day Weekend Scheme

The government is reviewing a scheme proposed by authorities of Alborz Province and approved by the Department of Environment to adopt a two-day weekend (Thursday and Friday) in the air pollution-ravaged province.

Advocates of the scheme argue that it provides an effective solution to Alborz’s pollution plight.

“Reviewing the scheme is on the Cabinet’s agenda,” Massoumeh Ebtekar, the head of DOE, told reporters in the provincial capital Karaj on Tuesday, adding that she will have “some good news” on the subject soon, ISNA reported.

The plan was first proposed last year in December, during the height of air pollution crisis in Tehran, Karaj and other metropolises in the country, but was reportedly rejected by the High Council of Administration and Supervision.

In addition to reducing pollution, the proposal was expected to help ease traffic in Alborz, which usually experiences chaotic congestion. Large numbers of residents of the province travel to neighboring Tehran everyday for work, clogging the three major highways linking the two morning and noon.

Provincial officials say 18% of the entire country’s traffic passes through Alborz as it connects 14 provinces, mostly in the northern regions. They say the sheer volume of traffic that goes through the province exacerbates the Alborz’s struggle with air pollution.

Financialtribune.com