The Iraqis woke up today with a familiar orange sky, the result of the new strong sandstorm occurred in the country. Airports and public services were closed, as were schools and university exams.
On May 5, the latest sandstorm in Iraq caused respiratory problems in part of the population, resulting in one person dying and more than 5,000 being hospitalized.
Early in the morning the roofs of the houses, the cars parked on the streets and even the furniture inside the houses were covered with a thick layer of very fine yellow dust, according to AFP correspondents. The dense cloud of dust prevented residents from seeing buildings just a few meters away.
Due to the low visibility at 300 meters, the authorities of Baghdad International Airport announced “the closure of the airspace and traffic jams at the airport “for the whole day, according to the official INA news agency.
At the same time the airport of Najaf, a holy city of the Shiites in the south Iraqand that of Sulaymaniyah, in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan in the north, also closed for today, according to the official Iraqi news agency.
Closed schools and public services
Authorities in the Iraqi capital, including the Ministry of Education, have declared today public holiday for local administrationswith the exception of health services.
Hundreds of people in Baghdad and other cities across the country had to go to the hospital with respiratory problemsaccording to health officials cited by APE-MPE, based on Reuters and AFP.
At least seven of the country’s 18 provinces, including Baghdad, have announced the closure of public services, with the exception of care.
also all the schools in the country remained closed today and the exams were postponed for tomorrow, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Education. University exams have also been postponed. According to the meteorological service, the dust cloud will gradually dissipate from tonight.
Iraq: The country most vulnerable to climate change – The forecasts are ominous
At least one sandstorm a week has hit Iraq in recent weeks, at the worst, according to Iraqis, an outbreak they can remember.
“Now it happens every three to four days. It is clearly a result of it climate change “And the lack of rain, when there is wind, just lifts dust and sand,” 23-year-old taxi driver Ahmed Zaman told Reuters.
“We had 75 cases of respiratory problems. “If necessary, we use respirators,” said Ihsan Mawlud, an emergency room doctor at a Baghdad hospital.
According to an Iraqi Ministry of Environment official, in the next two decades, Iraq is expected to face “272 days of dust” per year and by 2050 it will have reached the limit of 300 days.
Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to the climate crisis, according to the UN. Drought and extreme temperatures hit rural areas and make large parts of the country barely habitable during the summer months. The country has also recorded record temperatures of at least 52 degrees Celsius in recent years.
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Source: News Beast
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