A massive dust storm sweeping across western Iraqreached Baghdad on Monday before moving south toward Babil province, asauthorities issued health warnings and urged residents to remain indoors.
Shafaq News images from Babil showed the skiesturning orange as the storm spread across the province after intensifying inAl-Anbar province.
Najaf Health Directorate chief Abdullah MohammedAl-Ghazali instructed hospitals to raise their medical preparedness levels inresponse to the dusty conditions, calling for direct supervision of emergencywards and the full presence of doctors, health workers, and nursing staff,alongside adequate supplies of medicines and medical equipment, particularlyfor suffocation, asthma, and allergy cases.
Authorities also urged citizens to follow safety guidelines and stay indoorsas much as possible until weather conditions improve and stability graduallyreturns.
Iraq has experienced a sharp rise in dust storms during the 2025 season,with repeated waves disrupting daily life, grounding flights, and sendingthousands to hospitals with respiratory problems. Environmental experts linkthe worsening storms to drought, desertification, declining vegetation cover,and climate change, warning that Iraq is becoming increasingly vulnerable toextreme weather events.
: Iraq’s dust storms: deep environmental and political fault lines