Dust Storm Reduces Visibility to 400 Meters in Abadan and Khorramshahr

On Wednesday, June 3, the Iranian Environmental Organization announced that due to a significant increase in dust levels in the cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr, visibility has dropped to 400 meters. According to Tasnim News Agency, the dust concentration in Abadan reached 3290 micrograms per cubic meter by 1 PM, which is over 22 times the permissible limit. In Khorramshahr, the concentration of particulate matter was 4957 micrograms per cubic meter, reaching 33 times the permissible limit. The Environmental Organization stated that the dust concentration is increasing from the southwest of Khuzestan and Khorramshahr, and this situation is expected to continue until Thursday, June 4. The organization recommended that residents of these two cities avoid unnecessary outings and use standard masks to prevent respiratory and cancer-related illnesses. The occurrence of dust storms and air pollution in at least 10 provinces in the west, center, and south of Iran over the past year has repeatedly led to school and office closures, flight cancellations, and respiratory problems for many citizens. Since February 23 of last year, when the dust crisis caused multiple power, water, and internet outages in Ahvaz and several other cities in Khuzestan, criticisms of the government's neglect of this issue have intensified. In this context, a group of citizens from Ahvaz and other cities in Khuzestan gathered in front of government buildings, including the governor's office in Ahvaz. Simultaneously, several members of parliament and civil organizations have criticized the performance of Hassan Rouhani's government in addressing the dust crisis. In response to these criticisms, the government approved the implementation of some projects in Khuzestan province. Among these projects is the stabilization of 42,000 hectares of internal dust crisis hotspots and the implementation of water and sewage projects with a budget of about 10 trillion tomans.