Iraq working to revive oases in western deserts to tackle increasing dust storms

Out of the 35 oases in the deserts bordering Saudi Arabia and Syria, only ten are left, Kamel said.

Kurdistan 24 2022/04/15 14:20

A traffic policeman stands along Kahramana Square in the centre of Iraq's capital Baghdad during a dust storm April 12, 2022. (Photo: Ahmad al-Ruabye/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq's agricultural authority is ramping up efforts to revive oases in the western desert to combat the increasing number of dust storms the country has recently endured.

In early April, a powerful dust storm engulfed Iraq and its Kurdistan Region for days, significantly reducing visibility and hospitalizing approximately a thousand people.

The Iraqi agricultural authority is currently working in desert areas to reduce increasingly rapid desertification, a major cause of dust storms, Sarmad Kamel, Director of Planning and Follow-up at the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, told Iraqi News Agency.

However, the authority's work in these areas is hindered by ISIS remnants as well as landmines and explosive devices left over from previous wars.

Out of the 35 oases in the deserts bordering Saudi Arabia and Syria, only ten are left, Kamel said, adding the authorities are working to rehabilitate them as part of broader measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

The numerous conflicts and wars Iraq has faced in recent decades have taken a heavy toll on its forestry.

Between 2000 and 2020, Iraq lost 137 hectares of tree cover, according to Global Forest Watch figures. Tree cover is essential for protecting lands from desertification.

Recently, the country's environmental authority announced that if Iraq stays on its present course, it will experience 300 days of dusty weather per year by 2050.