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Concerns over air pollution increase in Kabul city
The National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) says over the past month, the air quality in Kabul city has deteriorated and become more polluted.
NEPA officials said that the lack of electricity, extensive use of unrefined coal and burning of plastic are major factors of air pollution in the capital.
“Air pollution has various causes. Damaged roads, the wide spread of dust and the use of vehicles that have technical problems, pollute the air,” said Sayed Qayyum Hashemi, an expert at NEPA.
Hashemi added that teams from this department are checking buildings and residential areas to make sure homes with burners have filters installed.
“Install filters and always keep filters active and where necessary and where possible, we encourage the commercial sector to use alternative fuels,” he said.
The Ministry of Public Health’s spokesman Sharaf Zaman also said that the number of people suffering from respiratory diseases due to air pollution is increasing in the country.
Kabul residents meanwhile say they are unable to breathe the air in the capital these days.
“The air is polluted, nothing can be seen after five in the evening, people get sick,” said a Kabul resident.
Kabul is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Even though billions of dollars poured into the country in the last two decades and huge sums of money was used to fight climate change, the air quality in Kabul continues to deteriorate.
Terrorist activities continue to be observed along Afghanistan borders and along the India–Pakistan–Afghanistan corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.
Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, Lavrov pointed to ongoing concerns in the Middle East, including its Asian regions.
He highlighted the importance of collaboration with India at the United Nations to advance a global counter-terrorism convention.
Lavrov stated that while the draft convention has already been prepared, consensus on its adoption has not yet been reached.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about militant threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns saying that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any country.
Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, held a phone conversation with Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, to discuss bilateral border cooperation.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening border collaboration, with a particular focus on the ongoing renovation and updating of border markers. They also agreed to accelerate joint technical and legal meetings to enhance coordination.
As part of the agreement, the next meeting of senior border officials from Afghanistan and Iran is scheduled to take place in Iran in 1405 (2026–2027).
The Director General of the OIC Mission in Kabul, Mohammed Saeed Alayyash, met on Sunday with Rolf Dieter Reinhard, Head of the German Liaison Office for Afghanistan in Doha and Acting Chargé d’Affaires of the German Embassy in Afghanistan.
During the discussion, both sides exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan. They focused on the security situation, as well as the humanitarian and economic conditions faced by the Afghan people.
The two officials also reviewed recent political developments and broader challenges in the country, highlighting the need for continued international engagement and support.
The meeting emphasized the importance of ongoing cooperation and coordination between the OIC Mission and the German side in addressing Afghanistan’s challenges and in supporting efforts to promote stability and improve the humanitarian situation.
Terrorist activities observed along Afghanistan borders, says Lavrov
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