Pollution forces Iran to declare another holiday

Sun, 28 Nov 2010

Tehran - Pollution in Iran's capital has forced the government to declare a two-day public holiday, the official news agency IRNA reported Sunday.

All public organizations, banks, schools and universities in Tehran will be closed Wednesday and Thursday due to high levels of pollution, the environmental protection organization said.

The government was forced last Wednesday to declare a day's holiday on the same grounds.

Tehran, which spreads over an area of 900 square kilometers, is considered one of the world's most polluted cities.

During the 1980s, the population was between 3-4 million, but it increased drastically following migration during the 1980-88 war against Iraq.

On weekdays, the city's population reaches up to 15 million, leading to traffic jams and pollution in the city center.

The construction of a subway in recent years has not alleviated the problem. Environmentalists say expanding the rail network and taking cars older than 20 years off the roads would help tackle the issue.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355590,forces-iran-declare-holiday.html.