Civil servants, students told to stay home amid severe dust storm
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Another dust storm engulfed several provinces across Iraq on Monday, forcing the authorities to call on hundreds of thousands of students and government employees to stay at home because of the poor weather conditions.
Baghdad Governor Mohammed Jaber al-Atta decided to call for "the suspension of official working hours in the Baghdad province," with all departments excluding the health department temporarily closed.
The provinces of Wasit, Diwaniyah, and Babil have also declared Monday as a public holiday amid the ongoing dust storm.
The frequency of dust storms in Iraq has greatly increased, with the country struggling to battle the effects of climate change, drought, and rapid desertification.
Baghdad, Najaf, and Sulaimani airports also suspended all outbound and inbound flights until further notice with visibility being low.
An initiative by the country to establish a "green belt" in aims of fending off further desertification and reversing the effects of climate change has seemingly collapsed, with negligence preventing irrigation on the project and a lack of government interest disrupting the project.
Iraq's environment ministry on April said that the number of dusty days in the country has increased from 243 to 272 days per year over the past two decades, and is expected to reach 300 dusty days per year in 2050.
Experts believe the dust increases as a result of the worsening drought which reduces the flow of water in the Tigris and Euphrates, creating drier land more susceptible to sand storms.
Baghdad Governor Mohammed Jaber al-Atta decided to call for "the suspension of official working hours in the Baghdad province," with all departments excluding the health department temporarily closed.
The provinces of Wasit, Diwaniyah, and Babil have also declared Monday as a public holiday amid the ongoing dust storm.
The frequency of dust storms in Iraq has greatly increased, with the country struggling to battle the effects of climate change, drought, and rapid desertification.
Baghdad, Najaf, and Sulaimani airports also suspended all outbound and inbound flights until further notice with visibility being low.
An initiative by the country to establish a "green belt" in aims of fending off further desertification and reversing the effects of climate change has seemingly collapsed, with negligence preventing irrigation on the project and a lack of government interest disrupting the project.
Iraq's environment ministry on April said that the number of dusty days in the country has increased from 243 to 272 days per year over the past two decades, and is expected to reach 300 dusty days per year in 2050.
Experts believe the dust increases as a result of the worsening drought which reduces the flow of water in the Tigris and Euphrates, creating drier land more susceptible to sand storms.