Iraq struggles in fight against latest foe: sandstorms

"I cannot stand these sandstorms, I cannot breathe," the 46-year-old said in central Baghdad's Ibn Nafis hospital.

Since the onset of summer, such storms have struck Iraq on a near-daily basis, making day-to-day life even tougher than it already was -- hospitals have treated hundreds for respiratory problems, and the capital's international airport has had to cancel dozens of flights due to poor visibility.

During particularly violent sandstorms, Iraqis walk down the country's streets wearing surgical masks, sold by roadside vendors for 250 dinars (20 US cents) each.

Though sandstorms have always been a feature of Iraqi life, their frequency has risen markedly this year.

"I've never had a problem like this," Ibrahim said, in between breaths into his oxygen mask. "There have been storms from time to time, but this year I have really suffered."

Iraqis' attempts to cope with the sandstorms are rendered even more difficult because of the sporadic electricity supply -- unable to close their windows, they must allow air, and sand into their homes because of the 50 degree C (122 F) heat.

"Every time there is a sandstorm, I know I will have problems breathing," said another hospital patient, Amin Hussein.

"We only have a few hours of electricity at the house, and we have to keep our doors and windows open -- it's just too hot."

Not a week goes by without one

According to Iraqi authorities, desertification of the country and a severe drought which has persisted for two years has raised the risk of sandstorms, which affect the entire region.

"In the 1990s, there was an average of eight days with sandstorms per year," said Ibrahim Sharif, who heads the environment ministry department charged with battling desertification.

"Now, not a week goes by without one," he said.

"Iraq is an arid, or a semi-arid zone. The absence of precipitation for several seasons has destroyed vegetation. And when there is a lack of vegetation to hold the soil or the sand, the wind prevails."

According to Sharif, the wars that have embroiled Iraq for nearly three decades are also to blame -- military vehicles destroyed green areas in the south and the centre of the country, providing dust that was carried by a "shamal" wind that blows over Iraq in the summer.

The only solution, Sharif said, was to promote and regenerate vegetation in Iraq, which has seen its number of famed palm trees drop by two-thirds, from around 36 million to just 12 million.

"Iraq needs a general strategy that should be implemented jointly by the ministries of agriculture, environment, education, water and science," he said. "At the moment, there are several small projects which are not coordinated."

The problem is also developing into a regional diplomatic one -- Iraq's neighbour Iran has blamed Baghdad for its own sandstorms, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has signed an agreement with an Iranian environmental protection agency.

"The prime minister has promised that the government provide any assistance to the ministry of environment to combat the problem of sandstorms which affects the environment and health" of Iraqis, Maliki's office said.

But in a war-ravaged country like Iraq, the environment risks being left behind as other pressing challenges such as national reconciliation and reconstruction or the fight against insurgents take the fore.

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