Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 10
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
New wave of heavy dust storms that swept across Khuzestan Province on Feb. 8 has forced local government to close schools, universities, and other governmental offices in most of the province, ISNA news agency reported on Feb. 10.
Director General of Khuzestan Crisis Management Center Hashem Baldi said that schools, universities, and governmental offices were called off in Ahvaz, Hendijan, Omidyeh, Ramshir, Mahshahr, Karun, Bevi, Hoveizeh, Dasht Azadegan, Bandar-e Emam Khomeini, Hamidieh, and Susangerd.
Officials said on Feb. 8 that dust particles in the air over the province were 35 times more than the healthy limit.
In recent years, dust storms in the western part of Iran have grown in frequency and density. It has on occasions caused people serious respiratory problems, sometimes even forcing them to seek hospital care.
The storms are believed to be the result of dust being carried by atmospheric circulation from lands to the west of Iran. Some have blamed the desertification of lagoons in Iraq and the strong winds from the deserts of Saudi Arabia for the blanket of dust reaching Iranian cities.
Edited by CN