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Sandstorms in central and southern Iraq have led to the hospitalisation of more than 1,800 people due to respiratory issues, health officials said.
Mazen al-Egeili, a local official in the Muthanna province in the south of the country told AFP news agency that at least 700 people were hospitalised due to suffocation on Monday.
Iraq’s environment ministry had earlier warned that the country might see more such “dust days”.
In the Najaf province, authorities told the outlet that over 250 people were taken to the hospital over breathing difficulties and at least 322 people were taken to local hospitals in Diwaniyah province.
Reports suggest there were several children among the afflicted.
In the Dhi Qar and Basra provinces, health authorities reported at least 530 people were hospitalised.
Airports in the southern provinces of Najaf and Basra were temporarily shut as visibility was severely impaired due to the sandstorm – deemed to be the biggest this year.
Visibility was low as dust covered the streets and landmarks and drivers reportedly kept car headlights on to see the road.
Sandstorms in Iraq are common but experts say that climate crisis is making them more severe and frequent. United Nations says that Iraq is one of the five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change.
According to experts, sandstorms are also exacerbated by low rainfall and desertification. According to the Iraqi ministry of environment, desertification has ravaged 71 per cent of the country’s arable land. It says that an additional 10,000 hectares are becoming barren each year.
Footage shared on social media and local media outlets showed people wearing face masks to protect themselves against the dust. Paramedics were reportedly stationed in public places in the affected provinces to assist people facing difficulties in breathing.
The sandstorm also led to power outages in the affected provinces.
According to local weather services, conditions are expected to get better by Tuesday.
In 2022, one person died due to a severe sandstorm in Iraq and at least 5000 were hospitalised.
At the time, Azzam Alwash, head of the Nature Iraq non-profit organisation, told AP that “climate change alone doesn’t give the whole picture” and that inappropriate farming practices and mismanagement of water resources have contributed to the problems.
“Climate change has become a very convenient excuse for officials to avoid responsibility for not taking action over the last 20 to 40 years,” he said.
Desertification and rising water salinity are also factors, Mr Alwash said at the time. “These are policy issues.”
The World Bank has warned that Iraq could suffer a 20 per cent drop in water resources by 2050.
