July 24, 2020
The country’s environmental chief has thrown up his hands and said he cannot do much to address the air pollution problem because fears among officials of causing more unemployment have more power than the need to improve public health.
Issa Kalantari, the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, told the state news agency, “Our hands are tied because the ever-growing menace of pollution is rooted in highly sensitive issues like not disrupting the job market for millions of people.”
Elaborating on the worsening problem, he said close to 11 million motorcycles ply Iran’s streets, of which 9.6 million need to be sent to the scrapyard because the volume of toxic fumes each of the motorbikes spews into the air equals that of eight cars built to Euro-4 emission standards.
Ironically, the same day Kalantari spoke up the head of the state electricity firm, Tavanir, announced a new plan to replace gas-driven motorbikes with electrical ones. He failed to provide any details of the plan, however.
But Kalantari proposed that same day that they be converted to use compressed natural gas (CNG). The competing proposals suggested that few in the regime are talking to each other.
Furthermore, Kalantari said, “When the environmental agency appeals to responsible bodies [the Traffic Police] to stop them [polluting motorbikes], the police are indifferent and seem to care little. Their argument is that this [motorbike] is the means with which many people earn a living and depriving them of their vehicle will expand the dole queues and inflict harm to the community.”
Studies by sociologists indicate that the main reason for the high number of motorcycles in the country (11 million) is the fact that they have become a convenient means for making a living for many people, especially the poor.
Because of Tehran’s heavy traffic snarls, many commuters who need to get around quickly would also rather use a motorcycle instead of a taxi or crowded bus.
According to figures released by the Traffic Police, 70 percent of motorcyclists use their motorbikes to work for courier service firms to deliver either parcels or food and only 30 percent are used exclusively for personal transport.
The environmental chief concurred that his agency has also been forced to let automakers continue to produce sub-standard vehicles.
“If the domestic car industry is really supposed to uphold international norms, all production lines should be shut, in which case at least 1.5 million people will lose their jobs,” he said.
