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In Tehran, schools in the capital are closed this Sunday due to air pollution. They could also be on Monday. STR / AFP

Authorities have closed schools in Tehran and several cities in Iran on Sunday due to air pollution that is reaching new health warning thresholds.

In Tehran , a thick gray cloud has enveloped the city for several days, completely obliterating the Alborz mountains which dominate the capital. The cloud of pollution was visible this Saturday in the valleys more than twenty kilometers north of the city.

Schools already closed last November

The decision to close schools in the capital was announced by Tehran’s deputy governor, Mohammad Taghizadeh after air pollution reached a " harmful to vulnerable groups " threshold, the agency said. official Irna agency. " All the schools in the province (...) are closed on Sunday apart from two cantons, and they could remain closed on Monday, " said Mohammad Taghizadeh.

The authorities invite the elderly, children and people with breathing difficulties to stay at home. The practice of sports activities is also not recommended. According to Irna, schools are also closed this Sunday in the province of Alborz, bordering that of Tehran, as well as in the cities of Qom and Arak, in central Iran.

Tehran schools had already been closed for several days in November due to air pollution . According to the municipality's surveys, the concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) reached mid-day 145 micrograms per cubic meter on average over 24 hours for the city, and exceeded 165 µg / m3 in several districts of the capital . The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a rate below 25 µg / m3 on average over 24 hours.

30,000 deaths per year due to air pollution

In an attempt to reduce pollution, the authorities are imposing restrictions on car traffic in the capital city, which has some 8.5 million inhabitants. Truck traffic is prohibited throughout the province.

Every year between November and February, air pollution reaches peaks in Tehran, an agglomeration located between 1,400 and 1,800 meters, due to the phenomenon known as “thermal inversion”: cold air at altitude prevents hot air and polluted to come off.

The main causes of pollution are heavy vehicles, motorcycles , refineries and thermal power plants, according to a report published in 2018 by the World Bank. According to official figures published in the Iranian press, air pollution causes every year 30,000 deaths in Iran.

( with AFP )