Iraq still caught in a dust storm
Vehicles driving during the dust storm.
AFP - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In Iraq, a dust storm enveloped the country on Tuesday, April 12.
The second in less than a week.
This phenomenon is more and more frequent in the country due to global warming and causes many problems.
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With our correspondent in Baghdad
,
Lucile Wassermann
The wind blows in
Iraq
and Baghdad wakes up under an orange coat.
Streets, cars, houses... Everything is covered in a
thin layer of sepia-colored particles
from a dust storm, or sandstorm, as some call it.
Can't see more than twenty meters
In the streets of Baghdad, many passers-by wear disposable masks to protect themselves from dust and it is impossible to see more than 20 meters.
"
That's twice this week.
Three days ago I was in Souleymaniyah and I had to return to Baghdad, I drove in these conditions, and with the dust storm, it was really very hard
, "says Ahmed, a resident of the capital, exasperated. .
These storms are becoming more frequent, according to climatologists, due to the lack of precipitation in winter.
Airports had to close for the day and hospitals were overwhelmed.
“
In the emergency room, we face a lot of cases of respiratory problems, especially from people with asthma.
It still remains under control, they are given medication and the symptoms disappear from a few minutes or after an hour maximum
, ”says Mohammed, an emergency doctor who works in Baghdad.
A vulnerable country
Iraq is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
According to the World Bank, the country could lose
20% of its water resources by 2050.
►
To read also: Iraq: the election of the President of the Republic postponed again for lack of quorum
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