Sand and dust storms remain an underestimated problem that has become much more common in some parts of our planet today. This is stated in the new report of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), published on its official website. Web site organizations.
According to UNCCD experts, approximately 2 billion tons of sand and dust enter the atmosphere every year, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 350 pyramids of Cheops in Egypt. While sand and dust storms remain a regional and seasonal phenomenon, their impacts are exacerbated by poor soil and water management, as well as drought and climate change. In fact, 25% of such storms around the world are related to human activity in some way.
“Sand and dust storms are becoming more frequent and severe, causing significant cross-border impacts and affecting various aspects of the environment, climate, health, agriculture, livelihoods and people’s socio-economic well-being.
Where they appear, they damage crops, infect animals and destroy the topsoil. Atmospheric dust in deposition areas, especially when combined with local industrial pollution, can cause or worsen human health problems such as respiratory diseases,” said UNCCD Administrator Feras Ziadat.
UNCCD estimates that approximately 1 million square kilometers of healthy and productive land is lost in the world every year due to desertification. From 2015 to 2019, their area decreased by 4.2 million square kilometers, which corresponds to the total territory of the Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
To combat dust storms, vegetation must be restored and land and water management improved in areas vulnerable to sandstorms, experts say.
Previously Iraqi government promise Planting 5 million trees in the country to combat dust storms.