Air pollution kills 17 in Kabul in a week

At least 17 people have been killed by the extreme air pollution in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, over the past one week, an official with the Public Health Ministry Fida Mohammad Paikan said.

More than 8,000 air pollution-related patients, mostly having respiratory infections, have visited hospitals over the past one week and 17 of them have died, Paikan said.

The city of Kabul reportedly ranks one of the most polluted cities in the world, reports Xinhua.

To overcome the challenge, the National Environment Protection Agency in coordination with Kabul Municipality and the Interior Ministry initiated an anti-pollution campaign on Monday.

They also warned to close down any business center or agency that uses poor-quality material in the heating system.

In the mountainous country of Afghanistan, people usually use low-quality fuel, including coal to keep their houses and offices warm in winter.