According to official counts, at least 5,000 people have been treated in hospitals for breathing difficulties and the risk of suffocation. In Baghdad alone, 1,000 people had to be hospitalized. The capital reported one fatality.
According to the Ministry of Health, people with “chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma” and older people with heart problems were particularly affected. According to the information, most of the patients admitted have already been able to leave the hospitals.
Seventh Storm
The seventh sandstorm this month wrapped six of the 18 Iraqi provinces in a dense cloud of dust on Thursday morning. In al-Anbar and in the province of Kirkuk north of the capital, the authorities asked people not to go outdoors, according to the state media.
Air traffic continues despite the storm, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported on Thursday, citing the civil aviation authority. At the beginning of April, Erbil Airport had to cease operations following a heavy sandstorm due to poor visibility.
Stronger drought, more violent storms
The violent sandstorms have been making life difficult for people in Iraq for weeks. Photos show locations in haze, visibility is limited, and the air is deteriorating. Basically, such sandstorms are a common phenomenon. Strong north-west winds blow over the Tigris and Euphrates river floodplains in the desert region, especially in summer. Because the rivers are carrying less and less water, the storms are also becoming more violent.
At the beginning of April, the Iraqi meteorologist Amer al-Jabri warned that although sandstorms are common in Iraq, their frequency is increasing due to prolonged periods of drought, lack of rainfall and progressive soil deterioration and desertification. In early April, a government official warned that Iraq might expect “272 days of dust” a year for decades to come.
years of drought
Iraq and its neighboring countries are now struggling with prolonged drought for the third year in a row. The spring rains were too weak this year too. This consequence of the climate crisis is exacerbated by a failed water policy. The country’s water and energy consumption is high, also because of the strong urbanization.
Severe sandstorms in Iraq
Heavy sandstorms have been raging in Iraq for several days. The dust particles from the storms significantly worsen the air quality. That is why more than 5,000 people are said to have been treated in hospitals for breathing difficulties and the risk of suffocation.
This is fueled by the drought: Large parts of the arable land cannot be cultivated, fisheries have been fished empty, electricity and drinking water sources have been used up. People flee to the city, where many find themselves in a difficult economic situation.
Allegations once morest Turkey and Iran
Iraq also accuses Turkey of restricting the water supply to Iraq with its dam systems on the Euphrates and Tigris. Turkey, on the other hand, refers to the general drought. Iraq has made similar allegations once morest Iran, which is also suffering from drought. The neighboring country is supposed to hold back water from the Tigris tributary Diyala with its dams. In Iran, there were serious protests over the past year due to the drought.
Up until now, Iraq has been considered the region’s water reservoir, but those times may be over. In November, the World Bank warned that Iraq might lose around 20 percent of its current water resources by 2050 amid the climate crisis. The socio-economic consequences are likely to be serious, also given the political instability.
