Another sandstorm in Iraq turned everything orange

Iraq is affected by the 9th sandstorm from mid-April, which forced public services to close, as did airports. Iraq is one of the five countries in the world most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and desertification.

As an AFP correspondent describes it, Baghdad was shrouded in a cloud of dust this morning, covering the empty streets, which are usually buzzing with traffic.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Qadimi has ordered a temporary halt to public services, with the exception of health facilities and security services. He cited “bad weather and severe weather sandstorms as expected “, as stated in a statement issued by his office.

One dead and 10,000 with respiratory problems

The Ministry of Environment has warned that in the next two decades the Iraq It is likely to exist on average 272 days with sandstorms per year, which will exceed 300 by 2050.

Air traffic was disrupted today at Baghdad, Arbil and Najaf International Airports, according to announcements from those airports.

One person was killed in the last two sandstorms and about 10,000 others were taken to hospital with respiratory problems.

The Middle East has always faced sandstorms, but in recent years they have become more frequent and intense, according to the APE-MPE, citing AFP.

This phenomenon has been linked to increasing water scarcity, excessive use of river water, increasing number of dams, overgrazing and deforestation. Iraq’s oil-rich country is known in Arabic as the Land of the Two Rivers, a reference to the Tigris and Euphrates.

Source: News Beast

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