Afghanistan: Residents of Kabul voice concern over surge in air pollution

Aug 05, 2023

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 5 : Residents of Kabul complained about increased air pollution and urged the current government to address the sources of the capital's air pollution, Tolo News reported.
“Afghanistan is at the top of the countries whose environment is polluted,” a Kabul resident, Seyar said. 
Lamenting about his situation, Abdul Rahim, another Kabul resident also said that the residents suffer due to excessive smoke in the region.
He said, “When factories start working, their smoke spreads in the air and all the residents in this area suffer,” Tolo News reported.
Meanwhile, the Department of Regulation and Control of Air Pollution and Garbage rejected Kabul residents' claims, adding that the department currently identifies and regulates more than 14,000 air pollution sources.
According to Tolo News, the Taliban-led Ministry of Public Health said that in order to prevent air pollution, they have launched an awareness campaign in the country. 
“Our environmental health department has launched campaigns in the sector, but it needs more work because there are some technical problems and the smoke from cars is excessive,” said Sharaft Zaman.
Previously, certain international organisations produced assessments on air pollution that named Afghanistan as one of the world's most polluted countries.