Cities across Iran, including the capital, Tehran, have been blanketed in heavy layers of dust and pollution brought in by strong west-bound winds.
The air quality in Tehran was hazardous, and visibility was extremely low on Friday and Saturday as a white and grey fog blanketed the whole city.
By noon on Saturday, the Swiss company’s index had dropped to a “unhealthy” 183, while local estimations on Friday indicated an index of more than 500, the highest level on the scale.
Storms and high winds are suspected to have carried dust primarily from Iraq, prompted by climate change, droughts, and desertification, according to city officials. Old automobiles, factories, and low-quality gasoline were not the main reason this time.
The Iranian Ministry of Environment announced on Saturday that the pollution situation is expected to worsen by Saturday evening as more dust storms, including those from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, are pushed towards Iran.
Dariush Golalizadeh, the head of the department’s air and climate office, told the Tasnim news website that the dust brought in during the two days had created pollution in 26 provinces across the country.
“Diplomacy is the most effective approach to combat this situation,” he added, adding that the department has requested talks with neighbouring countries but has so far been turned down.
According to government data, Tehran only had two days of “clean” air during the Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20.
The majority of days were deemed “appropriate,” while 111 days were deemed risky for vulnerable groups or all individuals.