Air pollution killed nearly 5,000 people in Afghanistan in 2020

Nearly 5,000 people died in Afghanistan due to air pollution in 2020, the health ministry told Dpa.

They died from respiratory and heart diseases believed to be caused by air pollution, ministry spokeswoman Masouma Jafari said.

Last year, the Afghan capital was considered the most polluted city in the world.

About 10% of those killed from these diseases in Afghanistan were in the city of Kabul, according to ministry figures.

According to the air quality index, the air in Kabul becomes “very unsanitary” at night in winter, placing Kabul among the most polluted cities in 2021.

The head of Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, Dr Abdullah Ahmadi, told dpa that the hospital had received more than 600 patients in less than a month.

“On average, twenty patients with respiratory diseases visit our hospital daily,” said Ahmadi. “Most of these problems are due to air pollution.”

Excessive use of coal, old vehicles that produce a large amount of smoke and unpaved roads are the main reasons for the increase in air pollution, an official with the National Protection Agency said. environment (NEPA) at dpa.

The problem is exacerbated by the shortage of electricity, expensive gasoline and poor quality fuel.

Since last year, authorities have launched a crackdown on local businesses believed to be the main contributor to air pollution by burning used tires and plastics for heating.

The problem of air pollution is a global challenge. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills about seven million people worldwide each year.

—GNA