Iraqis suffer from high frequency of sand and dust storms

Dust is all over the place and delivery workers are suffering badly.

AFP

Despite sand or dust storms, the delivery worker Milad Matta cannot afford to lose a working day, and like the vast majority of Iraqis, his boredom does not hide this phenomenon, which has taken unprecedented proportions in recent months.

To navigate the streets of Baghdad on a motorbike and deliver meals to customers, the 30-year-old grooms himself as much as possible, wearing goggles to keep from dust and a gray neck covering that he pulls over his mouth and nose, so he can breathe.

With dozens of these storms blowing since mid-April, the people of Iraq have been accustomed to waking up to gray and dusty skies, when the orange aura does not envelope the country's cities.

In many cases, airports were forced to suspend flights due to poor visibility, and again, on Sunday, Baghdad International Airport suspended its flights for several hours.

And the Ministry of Health announced yesterday that more than 500 people went to hospitals across the country, due to respiratory problems, in the wake of a new sandstorm.

"It's the first year in which dust storms abound," said Matti, in one of Baghdad's crowded squares. During the first Sunday in July, he had to endure temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius and a new dust storm.

The young man adds: “The vision is blurred, and you feel like you are suffocating from the heat.

You are suffocating and cannot stand it, and you have to drink juices and liquids for your own safety.”

When is he married and cannot be absent from his job, through which he receives a monthly salary of $600.

"I can't stop the work, I have a family and I have to take on this responsibility," he explains.

Despite the sweltering heat in a city where concrete buildings stand, the number of passersby wearing masks is increasing, in a country where most residents did not use masks during the “Covid-19” pandemic.

Mainly affected are the elderly and people with asthma or respiratory disorders and heart diseases, who are considered the most vulnerable groups, according to health authorities.

"The intensity of the storm has increased a lot, and during the past few weeks, the days in which storms occur have increased, and then the rate of suffocation cases as a result," said Dr. Saif Ali Abdel Hamza, chief resident at Al-Kindi Hospital.

He added, "The majority of the patients referred suffer from chronic diseases such as asthma and bronchial allergy, and the majority of them are elderly."

The authorities say that Iraq is one of the five countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and desertification, which is one of the factors behind the proliferation of sandstorms.

Over the next two decades, the country is expected to experience “272 dust days” annually and in 2050 the 300-day threshold will be reached, according to an official from the Ministry of Environment.

Among the recommended measures to combat this phenomenon, the authorities mentioned the establishment of green belts around cities, but the country of 41 million people also suffers from water shortages and low rainfall.

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