TEHRAN — Mayors of 9 Iranian metropolises and Iran Fuel Conservation Company, affiliated to Ministry of Oil signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to jointly improve public transport in the megacities.

According to IRNA news agency the scheme is mainly focused on improving public transport by increasing subway ridership and reducing fuel consumption in an attempt to decrease harmful emissions in metropolises of Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Mashhad, Karaj, and Qom.

As per the agreement some 2,000 subway cars will be added to Tehran metro and 1,000 cars will be added to transport system in other 8 metropolises within the next three years. 

Mohsen Delaviz, CEO of Iran Fuel Conservation Company, said that by the year 2030 implementation of the scheme and accordingly reduction of fuel consumption will save the government some $1.4 billion in Tehran. 

The same goes for other metropolises as fuel consumption reduction will decrease the expenses by $1.2 billion by 2035, Delaviz added. 

Fossil-fuel combustion by-products are the world’s most significant threat to people’s health. The emissions include a myriad of toxic air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the most important human-produced climate-altering greenhouse gas.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) air pollution levels remain at dangerously high levels in many parts of the world. New data reveals that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. Like black carbon which penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system.

WHO estimates that around 7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air that lead to diseases such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.

WHO recognizes that air pollution is a critical risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), causing an estimated one-quarter (24%) of all adult deaths from heart disease, 25% from stroke, 43% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 29% from lung cancer.

MQ/MG