Yellow alert; increase in pollutants in Tehran, Karaj and Isfahan
Third day of unhealthy air in Tehran for sensitive groups. Six Iranian metropolises are experiencing increasing concentrations of pollutants, and sulfur dioxide levels in Arak have reached the threshold of life and death. Schools in Arak and Tehran are closed again.
Tehran Air Quality Control Company announced the average concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns in the 24 hours ending Tuesday, December 13, at 148, an unhealthy index for sensitive groups. During the same period, the concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 microns was 86, ozone was 11, nitrogen dioxide was 106, and carbon monoxide was 39.
At the same time, Tehran's Air Pollution Emergency Committee announced the decision to close kindergartens and preschool centers and move school classes to virtual in 22 regions.
This is the second time in the past ten days that the air quality in the capital and several cities in Tehran province has reached this stage of pollutant accumulation and such a decision has been made.
The Meteorological Organization has also announced that the lack of wind in Tehran until late Tuesday and increased vehicle traffic will increase the concentration of pollutants. This means that the air will be unhealthy for all groups.
Tehran, Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, and Karaj are the leading cities with smoky skies and toxic air.
The air in Arak has been declared unhealthy and dangerous for all groups, and the media is reporting that people's lives are being disrupted and students are being forced to stay home. A city with many industries in and around it, including power plants and factories that use diesel fuel.
The Shazand Thermal Power Plant is considered one of the most important causes of air pollution in Arak. Farzad Mukhles-ol-Aemeh, the governor of Markazi Province, said that by allocating 5 million cubic meters of gas quota to the Shazand Thermal Power Plant, the consumption of diesel fuel will be reduced for a while. He promised that with the withdrawal of some units from the circuit, the Shazand diesel fuel consumption will reach zero and he also asked the people to save on electricity and gas consumption so that the gas and diesel consumption of the power plants will decrease.
Since the beginning of this year, three days of clean air, 195 days of acceptable air, 65 days of unhealthy air for sensitive groups, and 6 days of unhealthy air for all groups have been recorded in Tehran.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Meteorological Organization has issued a yellow warning, announcing that Tehran, Isfahan, and Karaj will be exposed to weather stability risks (stable atmosphere and increased pollutant concentrations) on Friday, December 16. It is recommended that the elderly, children, and people with a history of illness avoid any unnecessary travel within the cities.
Household consumption or mobile pollutants, i.e. diesel cars or worn-out and scrapped trucks and buses, are usually blamed for air pollution in Iran's major cities, but experts emphasize that the main factor is diesel fuel in power plants.
Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, the Minister of Oil of the 12th government, said last winter: "We have no choice but to use diesel fuel."
Fereydoun Abbasi, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, recently acknowledged the gas shortage and said: "If we don't use diesel when we have a gas shortage, 25 percent of the country will be plunged into blackout."
Source: DW
