Southwestern and Western parts of Iran, including the provinces of Khuzestan, Ilam, Lorestan, Kurdistan, West and East Azerbaijan, and Kermanshah are experiencing heavy pollution caused by dust storm.
The heavy dust has already brought life to a halt in these areas, especially in the city of Ahvaz in Khuzestan, and forced closure of schools and offices.
In a phone call with Governor-General of Khuzestan Province Abdol-Hossein Moqtadaei on Tuesday, Rouhani was brified on the latest measures taken against the crisis, and urged Moqtadaei to cooperate with the working group set up by the government to confront air pollution.
He also underlined the necessity for supplying and providing people’s urgent needs including masks and medical emergencies and measures.
Earlier on Monday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei had called on the government to take appropriate measures and immediate decisions to resolve the dust problem.
Rouhani’s cabinet set up a working group on Monday to study how to tackle the dust particles, underscoring the importance of taking immediate measures to settle the problem of heavy air pollution caused by dust particles at the areas along shared borders with neighboring countries.