Dust storm hospitalizes over 100 in Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 119 people were hospitalized in Kirkuk with breathing difficulties after a dust storm engulfed the province, a local health official said on Thursday.

“Those who were taken to the hospital due to breathing difficulties have received the necessary treatment, and no deaths have been recorded among them,” Kirkuk health directorate spokesperson Saman Yaba told Rudaw.

Among the 119 affected people, 60 were from Kirkuk’s southeastern Daquq district, according to Yaba.

On Wednesday night, a dense dust storm engulfed Kirkuk, with winds from the southeast affecting Kirkuk province and Garmiyan administration in Sulaimani province, according to Mohammed Kamal, a meteorological and seismological forecaster in the Kurdistan Region.

Kamal told Rudaw that the storm settled around 7:00 am.

Dust storms are common in Iraq but have become more frequent due to drought, desertification, and rising temperatures. Iraq is among the countries most affected by climate change, with mismanagement of water resources and dam projects in upstream countries further reducing the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The United Nations has warned that urgent action is needed to combat environmental degradation in Iraq.

The number of dusty days in Iraq has increased from 243 to 272 per year over the past two decades, according to the environment ministry. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 300.