Schools Close in Smog-Enshrouded Iranian Capital for 3rd Day
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Schools across the Iranian capital, Tehran, will be closed on Wednesday for a third consecutive day as a thick smog of pollution hangs in the air.
Members of Tehran’s Air Pollution Emergency Committee decided in a meeting on Tuesday that all educational establishments in Tehran, including kindergartens, pre-school centers and elementary schools, will be suspended on Wednesday due to the sever air pollution.
The decision came as the average level of PM2.5 particles in Tehran’s air hit 156, a little lower than what was recorded in the city’s pollutant measurement stations days earlier, but it is still more than three times the level considered safe.
The committee also extended restrictions on the movement of cars in Tehran. It also warned residents, the elderly and kids in particular, to stay at home.
Tehran, a dense city of at least 12 million inhabitants, suffers the most as the snow-capped Alborz Mountains form a basin that shields its air from cleansing winds. Pollution is more severe in winter as cold air prevents the smog from rising.
