Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, January 13, 2021—Tehran, the capital of Iran, is rated as one of the world's most polluted cities. But in recent days not only Tehran but parts of other cities across the country were covered by smog, making breathing very difficult for the locals. All the while, the regime is taking no serious measures to handle the issue.
Bahare Arvin, a member of Tehran’s city council acknowledged that air pollution in the country is more severe than ever. “The city’s air is so continuously and severely polluted that people literally cannot breathe,” Arvin told the State-run news agency IRNA on January 12. “This is while half of the city is shut down. Sulfur dioxide has returned to the city after many years with a strange and unbelievable intensity. No one is responsible and no clear answer is given!” she added.
On Tuesday, the sixth day of severe air pollution, air quality in Tehran was declared red and unhealthy for all people across the capital. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Organization for Air Pollution says that air pollution in Tehran will continue until the end of this week and the concentration of particles has increased.
Meanwhile, like other social issues and crises, the regime is placing the blame on the people themselves. According to the state controlled Khabar Fouri website on Tuesday the mullahs’ regime had cut electricity in different parts of Tehran and claimed that it will confront the “improper consumption of gas” by the people. Thus, the darkness and blackouts in Tehran and other cities created another problem for people amid the coronavirus crisis and rising air pollution.
This is a fraudulent act of the clerical regime, while it has used another dangerous fuel instead of fuel oil, and at the same time has cut off the people's electricity under the pretext of combating air pollution.
In Tehran, the regime has replaced mazut with gas oil, which is a non-standard fuel. A regime official in the Environmental Protection Organization acknowledged that in Tehran no fuel oil but gas oil is used in power plants which is not a standard fuel, according to a Tuesday report wired by the Tasnim news agency, an outlet linked to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
“Various officials have failed to reduce the air pollution problem that had led to deadly poisonings and breathing problems for more than two weeks,” according to the state-controlled Arman daily on Tuesday.
Also, the daily Jahane Sanat wrote in an article titled the “Environment is not a government priority" that the situation has worsened compared to last year when it comes to the country’s air pollution crisis.
"There is no will to solve the problem of air pollution," the piece acknowledges, adding "in the last ten years the government has not allocated a dime for the renovation and reconstruction of public transportation systems.”
