Tehran’s Air Pollution Escalates Beyond Red to ‘Purple’ Level

Tehran Municipality announced on Sunday, December 12, that Tehran’s air pollution conditions have intensified, reporting that the air quality index has reached approximately 175.

According to Tehran Municipality, air pollution has escalated from a red alert status to purple in some areas of the capital tonight.

Over recent weeks, numerous warnings have been issued regarding air pollution in Iran’s major cities, particularly regarding “the doubling of sulfur dioxide levels” due to the use of fuel oil as a power plant fuel source.

Amidst conflicting statements from Iranian government officials regarding the use of fuel oil in power plants, Iran’s Oil Minister ultimately confirmed the matter, stating that due to sanctions and the inability to export fuel oil, there is no choice but to burn this highly polluting fuel inside the country.

Fars News Agency reports that Tehran’s Sohanak district and Azgol are among the areas with “purple” air pollution status, with air quality indices reported above 202.

According to official statistics, Tehran has had only 15 days of clean air throughout the current year.

Source: Radio Farda