Sahara Fragile

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Sahara desert
  • Namib desert
  • Kalahari desert
  • Savanna desert
  • Fragile States

Sahara Fragile

Header Banner

Sahara Fragile

  • Home
  • Sahara desert
  • Namib desert
  • Kalahari desert
  • Savanna desert
  • Fragile States
Sahara desert
Home›Sahara desert›Israel’s Negev desert is a hotspot for dust storms

Israel’s Negev desert is a hotspot for dust storms

By Christopher J. Jones
June 3, 2022
0
0

With dust turning the skies ocher across the Middle East, Israel’s southern desert region is a hotspot where residents face increased air pollution when storms hit.

On a hill overlooking Beer Sheva, the largest city in the Negev desert, Professor Victor Novack watches the mist.

“The dust is coming from the Sahara, in this direction,” he said, one arm sweeping south.

“During the periods of transition—spring, [autumn] – it’s blowing all over the Middle East and southern European countries,” said Professor Novack, who is head of clinical research at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba, ahead of World Diabetes Day. environment on June 5.

Such storms in recent weeks have prompted the Israeli government to issue air pollution warnings, telling vulnerable groups to avoid outdoor exercise.

While natural dust has swept across the region for millennia, in recent decades human activity has increasingly been a source of dust storms.

The World Bank attributed this to “land use change and human-induced climate change” in a 2019 report.

In Beersheba, construction cranes dot the skyline as the city of more than 200,000 people grows.

Although the Negev is Israel’s driest region, an April government alert warned of ‘heavy air pollution in most parts of the country’ following a dust storm crossing the eastern border.

There has been an increase in dust from the east over the past decade, according to Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, but, notably, a reduction in dust from the west.

“We have seen a decrease in the [overall] number of dust storms approaching us,” said Eitan Maza, an air quality forecaster with the ministry. The National.

In a farming community a few miles north of Beersheba, a resident said the huge growth in car use was affecting the area.

“The biggest problem is vehicles on the roads,” said Ron Cohen, agricultural manager for Kibbutz Lahav and surrounding communities.

“There’s a lot of dust from the vehicles, there’s also a lot of dust in the air. Why? Because it’s near the desert and because of the winds,” he said.

While overseeing fruit, vegetable and nut farming, Cohen has noticed rising temperatures and gradual delays in the onset of winter rains in recent years.

For elderly Negev residents or those with health conditions, such as diabetes or lung problems, the onset of a dust storm carries significant risks.

Dust storm hits Syria’s Idlib province – in pictures

A youth uses a metal detector during a dust storm above Zardana in the countryside of Idlib province, Syria. All photos: AFP

“We looked at the purchase of inhalers [for asthmatics], the day of the dust storm, the next day. It increases by 100%,” Professor Novack said.

There is a 20% increase in the number of patients admitted to Soroka Hospital for lung diseases during the storms, he said.

Israel’s Health Ministry did not provide figures on patients treated for dust-related issues over the years when contacted by The National.

However, a study of Israel, Greece and Cyprus published last year by the World Health Organization reported that dust storms affect the respiratory system and people with allergies and asthma.

Globally, the World Bank estimates that dust emissions “have increased by 25-50% over the past century”.

If the trend continues, more countries may soon have to adapt their health systems to deal with the effects.

For Professor Novack, the data currently being collected in Israel and the wider Middle East could prove invaluable.

“We have to be ready, and the solutions will probably come from this part of the world,” he said. “Becoming aware of what everyone will experience.”

Updated: June 03, 2022, 11:06 a.m.

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′; n.tail=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’, ‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘797427810752825’); fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);

Related posts:

  1. North Africa: Adrar issues exposed as Sahara desert heats up
  2. Migrants rescued in remote Sahara desert
  3. Annual dust cloud from the Sahara Desert is en route to Mexico
  4. Paul Skipworth tackles seven-day Sahara Desert ultramarathon

CATEGORIES

  • Fragile States
  • Kalahari desert
  • Namib desert
  • Sahara desert
  • Savanna desert

RECENT POSTS

  • NEW POLL SHOWS SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY OF HOURLY WORKERS FIGHTING HIGH GASOLINE PRICES AND INFLATION
  • Obituary of Richard Gauthier – Le Soleil du Désert
  • Three tips for investing in a recession
  • Norwich’s Joe Ringer Band flew to the Sahara Desert
  • Amber Heard will become a “full-time mom” in this remote desert town

ARCHIVES

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • November 2012
  • May 2012
  • October 2011
  • November 2010
  • April 2008
  • July 2006
  • November 2005
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions