Massive dust storms sweep across Iraq forcing closure of schools, offices — view pictures

Iraq, which has seen unprecedented sandstorms since April 2022, witnessed sandstorms in the country on Monday. Affecting normal lives in the middle-east country, the sandstorm forced the cancellation of a large number of flights and also led to the closing of schools and colleges.

Due to this, a large number of people who were facing breathing difficulties were rushed to hospitals in Baghdad and other cities. According to the BBC, the haze led to a dip in visibility in several parts of the country.

A large number of images and videos have gone viral showing orange haze clouding the streets in the country. People were also seen walking on the streets covering their noses as thick clouds of dust enveloped the areas.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ahmed Zaman, a taxi driver said, “It’s every three or four days now. It’s clearly a result of climate change and lack of rain, whenever there’s wind it just kicks up dust and sand.”

In its report, the Associated Press quoted a number of experts who opined that the frequent sandstorms are a result of record-low rainfall, desertification, and climate change. While Iraq is prone to seasonal sandstorms, a warning issued by the World Bank had earlier stated that water resources in the country may dip by 20% by 2050.

It may be noted that the supply of water in Iraq has been falling for years. Iraq is considered as one of the five countries in the world that are exposed to desertification and climate change. In April 2022, an Iraqi government official warned that the country could face 272 days a year in the next twenty years.

Earlier, when the seventh sandstorm struck the country on May 5, 2022, nearly 5,000 people were hospitalised and one person died.