Dust storms: Iraq loses $1M a day
Shafaq News/ Dust storms sweeping across Iraq are costing the country an estimated $1 million per day in damages across multiple sectors, the Green Iraq Observatory revealed on Tuesday.
“The health sector bears the brunt of the impact,” the observatory explained in a report, citing treatment costs for respiratory illnesses. Many patients are also turning to home oxygen devices rather than visiting hospitals and clinics.
Other damages include an uptick in traffic accidents on highways due to near-zero visibility, as well as severe harm to crops. Risks to livestock and wildlife were also highlighted, along with soaring water usage in cleaning operations at homes, government offices, and streets—adding strain to sewage systems often clogged with mud and debris.
The Observatory urged authorities to fast-track efforts to combat the crisis by launching long-delayed afforestation campaigns and reviving the Green Belt project, particularly in border provinces.
The latest sandstorm wave, driven by a seasonal Khamsini low-pressure system, has blanketed cities across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region over the past five days, triggering mass cases of suffocation and disrupting daily life.
A Fragile Country
Iraq is among the world’s five most vulnerable countries to climate change, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, the Strategic Center for Human Rights reported a nearly 30% loss of arable land over the past three decades due to climate shifts.
The water crisis, already gripping Iraq for years, has worsened dramatically since 2021, pushing river levels to historic lows. A World Bank report estimates Iraq will need $233 billion in development-focused investments by 2040—roughly 6% of its GDP annually—to pursue greener, more inclusive growth.
