In 2005 it was announced for the first time that the air pollution of Esfahan, the third big city of Iran, was in an emergency situation. Since then Esfahan has experienced a quick increase in air pollution. Today this city is the most polluted Iranian city after Tehran. The number of the “clean air” days in Esfahan was only 11 days last year. Where is the pollution coming from? Seventy to 75 percent of this pollution is caused by automobiles. So this has caused more strict control over emissions of the vehicle motors. Yearly checking of the car engines are done by special centers. This has recently been compulsory for car owners. Another reason of the air pollution of the city is the industry. While the industrial centers should be located outside a 50-kilometers radius of the city, still many centers are active inside the illegal zone. 70 percent of the clay bricks that are used in construction of the country are produced in Esfahan. These bricks are produced in kilns that use surface mud and lime as raw materials. Baking these materials in a 25 kilometers distance from the city, sends a daily amount of 1.5 to 2 tons of pollutant to the air of the city…It is likely that a traffic plan like Tehran’s be carried out in Esfahan in the near future..Tthe central streets of Esfahan should be closed to the personal cars >>>
