The residents of Kabul said that as the price of wood remains high and they are obliged to use coal, which is causing air pollution and health issues.

They called on officials to focus on the high prices of wood and gas.

“Some people cannot purchase wood with a high price or use electricity, so they are using cheap coal,” said Hizbullah, a resident of Kabul.

This comes as the National Environmental Protection Agency also voiced concerns about the use of coal in buildings.

“The price of wood is high now. The price of coal is a bit fair, so the people are using the coal now,” said Sayed Qayom Hashimi, head of NEPA.

“The buildings which are using coal in the cold season, there is a major possibility of emissions in those areas,” said Kazim Homayon, an environmental analyst.

The Kabul Municipality said that those who use coal must install filters in their buildings to avoid air pollution.

“Those buildings that have heating systems which use coal pledged to use filters,” said Nematullah Barakzai, a spokesman for the Kabul municipality.

The economists believe that the price of wood and gas should drop in order avoid the increased use of coal.

Earlier, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said that more than 7,500 people die annually due to pneumonia, a major cause of which is air pollution.