Urmia city in East Kurdistan is among the eight largest cities in Iran that have the most polluted air. Officials say the air in these cities is dangerous for all groups, so they have asked citizens, especially the sick and elderly, to stay indoors.
Morteza Manafi, Deputy of the Municipal Council of Urmia, told ILNA that %70 of air pollution in Urmia is due to the large number of vehicles in the city. Most of the domestically manufactured vehicles in Iran are substandard and produce a lot of pollution.
The Urmia Municipal Council has asked the Urmia governor to force all government employees not to use their vehicles to move in the city and to use the public transportation system until the weather changes. Citizens hope that the air will be cleaner with the arrival of a wave of snow and rain this week.