The Tehran Air Quality Control Company has released new statistics indicating that the air quality in the capital has been “more polluted” since the beginning of the current Iranian year (starting March 21) compared to last year.
The report states that in the 154 days since June 19, the air in the capital has been polluted 33% of the time, whereas last year, it was polluted 25% of the time.
The air quality in three areas of Tehran was also declared “red” on Wednesday, August 21. According to the Tehran Air Quality Control Company, the air quality index (AQI) in the capital is currently at 109, making the air unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Tehran Air Quality Control Company has identified the activity of dust-generating sources and an unprecedented rise in temperatures since late July as factors exacerbating Tehran’s air pollution.
This claim comes as official statistics from the Ministry of Oil show that the Iranian government has significantly increased the amount of non-standard additives in gasoline to compensate for fuel shortages.
The confidential report from the Ministry of Oil reveals that last year, while gasoline consumption in the country grew by 10.5%, refined gasoline production only increased by 1.5%. This situation worsened at the start of this spring, with daily refined gasoline production at 93 million liters in March, while consumption was 118 million liters.
In March, the government added 25 million liters of various additives or petrochemical-produced gasoline to the refinery base gasoline to prevent a fuel shortfall. By comparison, last year’s gasoline additives amounted to 15 million liters, and in 2018, it was only 5 million liters.
The sharp increase in the use of additives in gasoline is due to a four-million-liter drop in daily gasoline production by the country’s refineries at the beginning of this year and the continued growth in domestic gasoline consumption.
It is not exactly clear what the current status of base gasoline production, the volume of non-standard additives (including chemicals, petrochemical products, MTBE, etc.), and gasoline consumption has been during this summer.
On the other hand, domestic automakers produced and released 1.5 million vehicles into the local market last year. In addition to their low quality and safety, fuel consumption of vehicles made in Iran is much higher than global standards, which has contributed to increased fuel consumption and further air pollution.
Iran is also facing an increasing gas deficit and has been raising the use of polluting fuels like mazut and diesel every year due to the gas shortage, despite having the world’s second-largest gas reserves.
Last year, the head of the Health, Environment, and Urban Services Commission of Tehran’s City Council criticized the government for “concealing mazut burning” in power plants, revealing that in 2021, air pollution caused 6,398 deaths in Tehran.
