Araz News: Head of the Iranian Department of Environment (DOE) Masoumeh Ebtekar says Iranian people should tolerate dust storms, as no official can promise to remove the problem.

People should contribute to plans for reducing air pollution and reduce moving with their personal cars, Iran’s Fars news agency quoted Ebtekar as saying May 5.

In cooperation with regional and international organizations, the expansion of dust storms should be curbed, she said, adding that the erosion of soil and improper patterns of consumptions have worsened the dust storm predicament.

Military conflicts in the region and unused farmlands have caused the flow of dust storms from Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia toward Iran, she said.

In February, Ebtekar said coping with the dust particles problem requires a long term planning and that temporary arrangements are not practical.

She added that the administration does not intend to conceal the realities regarding dust particles challenge that needs a long term planning to overcome.

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.

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