$150 million to be allocated to fight air pollution in southwestern Iran

Beijing. January 25. Silkroadnews - $150 million will be allocated to fight air pollution in southwestern Iran, the Iranian Telegraph Agency (IrTAG) reported referring to Tasnim News Agency.
“Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has authorized the Iranian administration to withdraw a sum of $150 million from the National Development Fund for projects to tackle the heavy dust pollution in the country,” the report said.
The leader has issued an order to reallocate $100 million from the National Development Fund to fight fine particles in Khuzestan and $50 million to upgrade the provincial power supply equipment.
The order came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani instructed Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati and the head of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization Isa Kalantari to visit the south-western part of the country to address the problem of the heavy dust pollution in these areas.
In recent days, due to the heavy dust pollution, kindergartens, schools and some organizations have been closed in many cities of the south-western province of Khuzestan.
According to the Environmental Organization of Khuzestan Province, the air pollution index in the capital of the province Ahvaz has exceeded the dangerous upper limit of 500, when it stops measuring level of PM2.5, and means the pollution is 53 times worse compared to the moderate level.
With a dangerous level of pollution reached it could have negative consequences for human health, thus, the authorities recommended people to stay indoors. Residents of Iran in the western and south-western provinces bordering Iraq, face dust growing pollution generated by drought-hit marshlands in neighboring countries, the report reads.
The disruptive dust storms have increased pollution in these border areas to an alarming level in recent years, raising concerns on the local residents’ health. Dust particles carried by winds can penetrate the lungs and into the bloodstream, causing serious diseases, such as lung cancer, asthma and heart problems.