Kabul Municipality urges residents to curb fuel use as winter pollution worsens

Kabul [Afghanistan], November 28 (ANI): The Kabul Municipality has pledged to step up efforts to tackle rising air pollution and appealed to residents to limit the use of fuel during the winter months, Tolo News reported.
Officials warned that household stoves remain a major contributor to deteriorating air quality even before peak winter has set in.
Naematullah Barakzai, a representative of the Kabul Municipality, said the pollution crisis is driven largely by smoke from small residential structures.
"The air pollution we're currently seeing in Kabul is largely due to individual homes' single or two-story houses that have one or two stoves. Our request to citizens is: this is winter, let's try to heat our homes with minimal fuel use. We ask all residents to conserve. If their home can be heated with five kilograms of coal, they shouldn't use more than that."
Although it is still early in the Afghan month of Qaws, authorities noted that many families have only just begun heating their homes.
However, air quality data shows Kabul is already experiencing more pollution than the same period last year, raising concern among locals who say the smoke is affecting their daily routines, Tolo News reported.
Safiullah, a Kabul resident, said the impact is most visible during peak cold hours.
"Especially in the evenings or early mornings, the dust and smoke irritate our eyes, it's extremely harmful to our health and increases illness."
Another resident, Kabir Ahmad, echoed the concern, adding: "In the morning when we go to the mosque for prayer, we feel the smoke. The air is filled with smoke and dust that enters our respiratory system."
As conditions worsen, many residents have begun wearing masks outdoors and are urging authorities to take stronger measures.
Haideri, a local, said: "Gas should replace coal; there should be pipelines in every home so we can use gas and keep the environment clean."
Taimur Shah added, "We urge the government to take serious action. It's winter everyone, young and old, is getting sick."
Several residents said the situation becomes particularly difficult after sunset.
Mohammad Saleem noted: "Our request to the Islamic Emirate is to pay serious attention to this. After evening prayers, it becomes nearly impossible to breathe or even move around."
Experts say Kabul's geography is intensifying the crisis, with stagnant air trapping pollutants in the city.
University professor Mohammad Dawood Shirzad explained: "There are two contributing factors, one natural, one human-made. The natural factor is Kabul's bowl-shaped topography. There's high atmospheric pressure around the city and low pressure directly above it, which traps pollution and prevents it from rising."
Public health specialists warn that persistent exposure to polluted air can lead to respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular complications, weakened immunity, and long-term damage to lung development in children.
The worsening pollution has added urgency to calls for structural changes in heating systems and more robust government intervention, Tolo News reported. (ANI)