Air pollution forces suspension of in-person education in some Iranian provinces

Rapidly deteriorating air quality in the Iranian capital of Tehran and adjacent cities has forced authorities to order the closure of schools Saturday in some provinces, according to media reports.

But classes will be held virtually, said the state news agency, IRNA.

The Air Pollution Emergency Committee met Friday in Tehran and decided to suspend face-to-face education in schools because of the high levels of air pollution in the capital and the provinces of Alborz, Qazvin and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari.

The school week in Iran is from Saturday to Wednesday, with Thursday and Friday being the weekend.

Tehran has, in recent years, emerged as one of the most polluted cities in the world with poor air quality often forcing the closures of schools and businesses.

This year, the quality of air in the capital and other major cities recorded an alarming drop during the summer season. But the problem has begun to be aggravated with the onset of winter.

In July, poor air quality forced the closure of all educational institutes and government offices in Tehran and other cities as the air quality index was deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Iranian Health Ministry data released last month that said in the last calendar year, March 2021-March 2022, the number of deaths caused by long-term exposure to PM2.5 particles surged by more than 87% compared to the same period during the previous year.

The study was carried out in 27 cities, including Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Shiraz, Isfahan and Hamedan with a total population of 35 million in those cities.

The alarming dip in air quality in 2022 has been accompanied by sand storms, originating mostly in Iraq and Syria.