Air pollution causes protests in Iran’s Zanjan city
By Sara Rajabova
Iran's Zanjan city residents protested against tens of zinc and lead factories, which are source of air pollution in the city.
Hundreds of Iranian Zanjan city residents gathered in front of Governor's office to protest air pollution caused by zinc and lead factories in the city, particularly a factory, which employs more than 500 workers, Fars news agency reported.
Protests particularly have targeted a lead factory located in 15 kilometers of Zanjan city.
Reportedly, the protesters requested either to halt the factory's activity or change its location to somewhere else.
People believe that the air polluted with zinc and lead is the cause of high number of cancer patient in the city.
One of the signs held by protesters read: "I want to live."
Protesters chanted: "We do not want air filled with lead and zinc, we want fresh air."
According to the reports, Zanjan Province's Governor and Supreme leader's representative in Zanjan walked out to the people and asked them to stop protesting.
Zanjan Province's Governor has promised to cease the operation of zinc and lead factories.
It should be recalled that, for the now more than 70 zinc and lead factories are active in Zanjan.
It is not the only city of Iran suffering from the air pollution. This problem in the big cities of Iran has reached an alarming level, though it has become a chronic problem over the past few years.
Iran's capital Tehran has also faced air pollution problem, which forced the government repeatedly to declare some days-off in the capital due to high degree of pollution.
Tehran's pollution is mainly related to bumper-to-bumper traffic in a city wedged between two mountains which trap fumes. But major Iranian cities also struggle with pollution on a seasonal basis.
Some experts and officials say the low quality of the gasoline and diesel fuel that is used is responsible for the heavy smog in Tehran. The fact that some other big cities, like Isfahan, Mashhad, Arak, Karaj, Qom, Tabriz, and Ahvaz, are facing more or less a similar situation backs up this view.
Recall, that Iran has previously had laws implemented for dealing with the problem of air pollution, however none of them worked.