Pro-reform Iranian MPs have created the first committee aimed at protecting the environment of Iran, said to be one of the world's most polluted countries, parliamentary sources said Sunday.
Some 152 MPs from the 290-seat reform-majority parliament called for the creation of such a committee to combat the increasing pollution of the country's environment.
The committee is headed by MP Vahideh Taleqani, daughter of Ayatollah Mahmud Taleqani, one of the leading political figures in Iran who died just months after the 1979 Islamic revolution which brought the imperial regime to an end.
With a baby boom during the past 20 years which led to a population increase of 100 percent, and increasing ignorance and negligence towards environment protection issues, pollution and environment destruction have become the number one source of distress among Iran's nature-lovers.
In addition to the larger and overcrowded cities in Iran such as Tehran, which has a population of over 10 million people, rural areas have become increasing victims of de-certification due to uncontrolled development and pollution.
Rivers, lakes, the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf are also suffering from increasing industrial pollution which can be traced back to the population boom, but notably laxness among officials here.
Special face masks which protect against high carbon monoxide levels have become a common accessory among citizens in central Tehran, with radio reports regularly warning against air pollution and huge electronic boards signaling contamination rates – TEHRAN (AFP)
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