Dust Crisis in Khuzestan; Health Minister Visits Ahvaz

With the continued air pollution in the city of Ahvaz and an increase in the number of emergency respiratory patients in this city, Hassan Hashemi, the Iranian Minister of Health, traveled to the capital of Khuzestan province on Tuesday night, February 21. The Mehr News Agency reported Mr. Hashemi's statements during his visit to one of the hospitals in Ahvaz, emphasizing that the Iranian government is "determined to identify and address the destructive phenomenon of dust in Khuzestan as quickly as possible." According to the Minister of Health, special decisions will be made in the first cabinet meeting to address the dust problem in Khuzestan, and he has been tasked with providing a "detailed report to the cabinet to serve as the basis for their decision-making to resolve the dust issue." Khuzestan province and cities like Ahvaz have recently been engulfed in heavy dust, making it difficult for residents to breathe. According to statistics from the Khuzestan Crisis Management Headquarters, on Tuesday alone, 230 people in the province were hospitalized due to complications from dust, with 6 of them under special supervision. A protest gathering formed in Ahvaz on Tuesday, with demonstrators chanting slogans such as "You took our water and oil, all we have left is dust" and "Clean air is our inalienable right." According to a report from Iran's Environmental Organization, air pollution levels in some areas of Khuzestan have exceeded 66 times the standard limit. Images published from Khuzestan and Ahvaz show that the air has become severely darkened, making it difficult to see objects even a few meters away. While various speculations about the causes of this phenomenon and possible solutions are being discussed in the media, the governor of Khuzestan stated that the method of mulching cannot be effective. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Abdolhasan Moqtadaei stated on Tuesday evening during a crisis management meeting that "mulching is not a solution to the dust problem in Khuzestan because the dust in this province is not sandy, and mulching is only suitable for sandy and desert lands. However, this method can be used for a limited part of the province." He added that "the phenomenon of dust with internal origins occurs between the cities of Mahshahr-Hendijan and Ahvaz, and since only the National Oil Company operates in this area, this company is obliged to protect the region by creating specific vegetation cover." According to the Khuzestan Crisis Management Headquarters, air pollution is likely to persist in Khuzestan until Thursday of this week, and therefore all relevant organizations are on standby. On Tuesday, schools in Ahvaz and 12 other cities in Khuzestan province were closed due to these conditions.