TEHRAN – A special monitoring program will be implemented in Tehran over the next two months to control the water pollutants released by commercial carwashes, said the chief of Tehran’s department of environment.

Initial estimates indicate that some 200 carwashes are causing water pollution, ISNA quoted Mohammad Hossein Bazgir as saying on Friday.

The priority will be given to those carwashes which are bigger and more active, he noted.

“All of their equipment will be checked by environment officers,” he highlighted.

Emphasizing that not all of these car washing units are equipped with wastewater treatment systems, he added, “wastewater outlet sampling will be conducted to determine whether the amount of pollutants is in standard range or not.”

Bazgir also touched on the fact that 30 carwashes which caused water pollution and ignored the warnings of the department of environment have been referred to judicial authorities by now, adding that this trend will continue for offending units.

Polluting carwashes 

Washing cars at home or in carwashes which are not equipped with appropriate wastewater treatment systems result in heavily polluted water flowing into stormwater drainage and finally, contaminating water bodies.

Pollutants released by car washing are far more serious than a mere detergent; contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons and volatile hydrocarbons, heavy metals, surfactants and suspended solids and nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen.

Accordingly, carwashes are required to install wastewater treatment systems and related equipment – such as oil water separators, rain water harvesting systems, first flush diversion systems and pH control systems.

MAH/MG