Iran to Host Regional Meeting on Dust Pollution: President
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran is going to host a meeting of environmental officials from regional countries to address the problems caused by particle pollution that continues to plague West Asia, President Ebrahim Raisi said.
Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of his visit to Iran’s western province of Kurdistan, Raisi said his administration has formed a team of experts to weigh plans for dealing with the dust pollution problems.
The president said the Iranian team of experts has traveled to Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and other neighboring states, noting, “We need to solve the problem in cooperation with the neighbors.”
Raisi added that Iran is going to host a meeting of environmental officials from all neighboring countries within the next few days to draw up a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem.
Frequent sandstorms have blanketed parts of the Middle East, including Iraq, Syria, and Iran in recent months, sending hundreds of people to hospitals and disrupting flights in some places.
From Riyadh to Tehran, bright orange skies and a thick veil of grit have become part of unprecedented nearly back-to-back sandstorms this year that have bewildered residents and raised alarm among experts and officials, who blame climate change and poor governmental regulations.
Sandstorms are typical in late spring and summer, spurred by seasonal winds. But this year they have occurred nearly every week in the region since March.
