Dozens were treated for respiratory problems in the center and west of the country. A thick layer of orange dust settled on the streets and vehicles, penetrating people’s homes in the capital, Baghdad. Flights were halted due to poor visibility at airports serving Baghdad and the Shiite holy city of Najaf, with the phenomenon expected to continue until Monday, according to the meteorological service. “Flights to Baghdad and Najaf airports have been suspended due to the dust storm,” said Jihad al-Divan, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority. Drivers turned on their headlights due to low visibility during the storm in Baghdad. Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP / Getty Images Visibility was reported at less than 500 meters, with flights expected to resume as soon as the weather improves. Hospitals in Najaf have treated 63 people suffering from respiratory problems as a result of the storm, a health official said, adding that most had left after receiving appropriate treatment. Another 30 hospitalizations were reported in the desert province of Anbar in the west of the country. Iraq was hit by a series of such storms in April, blocking flights to Baghdad, Najaf and Arbil, leaving dozens stranded. Iraqis pass by street shops in Karada district in central Baghdad on Sunday. Photo: Ahmed Jalil / EPA Amer al-Jabri, of the Iraqi Meteorological Agency, said earlier that the weather was expected to become more frequent “due to drought, desertification and reduced rainfall.” Iraq is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with record low rainfall and high temperatures in recent years. Experts say these factors threaten to bring social and economic disaster to the war-torn country. The sky was orange above Al-Khilani Square in central Baghdad. Photo: Ahmed Jalil / EPA In November, the World Bank warned that Iraq could face a 20% reduction in water resources by 2050 due to climate change. Earlier in April, Issa al-Fayad, an environment ministry official, warned that Iraq could face “272 days of dust” a year in the coming decades, according to the state-run INA news agency. The ministry said the weather could be tackled by “increasing vegetation and creating forests that act as windbreaks”.
