Alfie Tobutt
BBC World Services
Watch: Heavy sandstorms cause orange haze and low visibility in southern Iraq
More than 1,000 people have been suffering from respiratory problems after the sandstorm swept across central and southern Iraq., health officials say.
One Mutanna official reported to AFP news agency that at least 700 cases of what they said were choking.
Video shared online showed dark orange haze-covered areas where local media reported power outages and flight outages in many areas.
Dust storms are common in Iraq, but some experts believe that climate change has become more frequent.
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Iraq’s Environment Ministry warns that the country will see more “dust day”
According to AFP, pedestrians and police were on the scene to wear face masks to protect themselves from dust, protect themselves from paramedics, and paramedics were on the scene to help people with breathing difficulties, according to the AFP.
A hospital in Mutanna province, in southern Iraq, has been subjected to at least “700 cases of choking,” local health officials said.
Over 250 people were taken to hospitals in Najaf and at least 322 patients, including children, were sent to hospitals in Diwaniya.
An additional 530 people reported respiratory problems in DHI QAR and BASRA states.
The Sandstorm covered the southern provinces of Iraq with orange clouds that reduced visibility to one kilometre (0.62 miles).
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Vision has decreased to less than 1 kilometer
Authorities were forced to close airports in the Najaf and Basra states.
Conditions are expected to gradually improve by Tuesday morning, according to local weather services.
Iraq is listed by the United Nations as one of the five most vulnerable countries to climate change as it encounters regular sandstorms, swell heat and water rarity.
A severe sandstorm in 2022 killed one person and more than 5,000 people needed treatment for respiratory illnesses.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, Iraq will experience more “dust days” in the future.
