Air pollution has reached alarming levels in several Iranian cities, with Tehran placed under a red alert and Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj, Ahvaz and Mashhad classified as orange, according to the latest air quality data.
Photos and videos showed a dense grey cloud shrouding the cities, sharply reducing visibility on the ground.
The Tehran Air Quality Control Company reported the capital’s average air quality in the range of “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and “unhealthy for all” over Sunday, with forecasts suggesting the smog will persist in the coming days.
The situation forced the authorities to move elementary school classes across the province online on Tuesday and Wednesday. Female employees with young children have also been allowed to work remotely. Other polluted cities have adopted similar measures.
Meanwhile, Fars News reported that power plants have begun burning mazut, a heavy fuel oil, with consumption reaching more than 21 million liters per day. Experts say mazut burning is a major contributor to the worsening air quality in Iran’s largest cities.
Every winter, Iranian cities face severe smog due to temperature inversion and fine particulate matter. This year, however, with a dry autumn and little rainfall across much of the country, the pollution season has arrived a month earlier and already hit its peak.
