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A mud storm that has swept by a lot of Iraq has left dozens of individuals in hospital with respiratory issues, a well being ministry spokesman mentioned Saturday.
The storm erupted within the north of the nation on Thursday, prompting the cancellation of flights serving Arbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan area.
Because the storm swept south, it shrouded Baghdad and cities as far south as Nasiriyah in a ghostly orange.
Within the capital, buildings and autos had been lined in ochre-coloured mud, AFP journalists reported.
The storm has induced “dozens of hospitalisations throughout Iraq as a result of respiratory issues”, well being ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr advised AFP.
The director of Iraq’s meteorological workplace, Amer al-Jabri, mentioned that whereas mud storms weren’t unusual in Iraq, they’re changing into extra frequent “as a result of drought, desertification and declining rainfall”.
Iraq is especially susceptible to local weather change, having already witnessed report low rainfall and excessive temperatures lately.
Consultants have mentioned these components threaten social and financial catastrophe within the war-scarred nation.
In November, the World Financial institution warned that Iraq may endure a 20 % drop in water sources by 2050 as a result of local weather change.
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