TEHRAN — Some 600 eco-friendly electric motorcycle couriers will start working in central Tehran in a bid to reduce air pollution in the megacity, the director of Tehran’s Air Quality Control Company has said.

Hopefully by the beginning of the second half of the current year - falling on September 22, 2016 - and in association with Tehran’s Municipality and Badpa Courier Company the scheme will be administered in 6 areas located in district 12 of Tehran, Vahid Hosseini said, Mehr news agency reported on Friday.

Air pollution in Tehran stems from various factors including great number of cars as well as the clunkers, motorcycles, sand mines surrounding the city, and occasional dust storms originating from hotspots which used to be wetland and are now dried up due to mismanagement of the water resources.

To tackle all these problems different organizations must get involved to formulate coherent policies to reduce this persisting predicament.

As carburetor motorcycles are responsible for a great deal of harmful emissions replacing them with electric motorcycles would play a significant role in mitigating the air pollution, Hosseini added.

Electric motorcycles produce zero emission and noise disturbance, he said, adding, “It is not so far-fetched that with their emergence in the city we would experience less pollution the center of the city.”

He also criticized the manufacturers who didn’t cooperate to mass produce the electric motorcycles as at the beginning of the scheme 30 manufacturers have expressed readiness but not only two have kept their words.

It would be more fruitful if there were more manufacturers to stimulate competition and consequently enhance the quality and lower the prices, Hosseini suggested.

MQ/MG