Schools and Government Offices in Several Iranian Provinces Announced Closed on Third of Khordad Due to Air Pollution

Following the intensification of air pollution and increased dust and sand concentration in several Iranian provinces, schools, government offices, and sports centers in some provinces were announced closed on the third of Khordad.

Based on reports from Iranian news agencies on Monday, the second of Khordad, the head of the National Center for Weather Forecasting and Disaster Management said that with increased dust and sand concentration in the western half of the country, “visibility in some cities such as Abadan has reached 100 meters,” and Tehran will also be “affected by dust and sand in the coming hours.”

According to announcements by provincial authorities in Tehran, Khuzestan, Alborz, Kermanshah, and Kurdistan provinces, government offices and educational centers on Tuesday, the third of Khordad, were announced closed due to air pollution and increased dust and sand.

The holding of end-of-year exams in these provinces has been postponed to another time that will be announced later.

Shahriyar Askari, public relations manager of the Khuzestan Provincial Department of Environment Protection, also reported an increase in dust and sand concentration in some cities of the province, saying that dust and sand concentration in Abadan has reached over 42 times, in Deshti Azadegan over 30 times, in Shadegan over 14 times, and in Hamidiyeh over 13 times the permitted limit.

According to him, during this period, dust and sand concentration in the cities of Ahvaz, Andimeshk, Izeh, Bandar “Imam,” Shush, and Shushtar has also been reported as “exceeding the permitted limit.”

In Ilam Province as well, air pollution led to the closure of sports clubs on Tuesday.

Also, intensification of air pollution has been reported in Isfahan and Zanjan provinces.

The intensification of dust and sand storms in recent weeks in many Iranian cities has caused a threefold increase in public visits to medical centers.

A general review has shown that various types of pollution annually take the lives of 9 million people worldwide. This research states that toxic air and contaminated water and soil pose a threat to human health and planets and endangers the sustainability of modern societies.

Source: Voice of America