In a promising turn for environmental health, officials from Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) reported on Sunday, that air pollution levels in the country, have significantly decreased over the past 10 months, marking a notable improvement compared to the same period last year.
This positive shift offers a glimpse of hope for citizens, who have long battled the challenges of poor air quality.
Zain al-Abedin Abed, Deputy Minister of Policy at NEPA, says, “A total of 3,521 development activities and projects across the country have been monitored for environmental impact. NEPA’s technical data indicates that air pollution has notably decreased in the first 10 months of this year compared to last year.”
He further explained that the agency has shut down at least 638 factories, 673 public and private hospitals, 260 markets, 503 brick and plaster kilns, and 598 vehicle repair workshops in Kabul and surrounding districts for their role in air pollution.
NEPA officials urged Kabul residents to avoid using low-quality and smoky fuel materials.
To improve air quality, the NEPA has installed air purification filters in many locations, according to Toofan Jubran, Head of Air Pollution Control at the agency. “NEPA and related agencies have taken action by installing filters across numerous sites, significantly reducing air pollution.”
Some Kabul residents, however, have expressed concerns over worsening air quality, particularly in winter, and called on relevant authorities to take stronger actions to combat air pollution.
Samir, a Kabul resident, said, “Air pollution increases in the winter, especially at night. This pollution causes illness. To address this issue, more attention needs to be given.”
According to NEPA statistics, since the return of the Islamic Emirate to power in Afghanistan, the agency has held 3,000 awareness programs aimed at reducing air pollution, training more than 500,000 people.
