Cancels 20 Airport Flights in Iran

A new wave of dust pollution has hit Iran, forcing officials from the southeastern airport in Ahvaz to cancel domestic and international flights Khuzestan's provincial Airports Office in a statement announced that 20 domestic and international flights to and from Ahvaz airport had been canceled on Wednesday due to difficulty in visibility.

The statement said the rising haze level had reduced visibility to 400 meters from the minimum standard 800 meters.In recent months, dust storms in Iran have increased concerns over the air pollution levels in some cities, raising the particulate concentration to 9 times greater than standard levels.

Earlier this month, incoming dust from the Arabian deserts, which entered Iran from neighboring countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, forced the closure of governmental offices as well as educational and industrial centers in Tehran.

The desertification of several lagoons in Iraq and the strong winds from the deserts of Saudi Arabia are to blame for the blanket of smog covering Iranian cities.Particulate concentration in the capital has reached 936 micrograms per cubic meter in the past several days. The standard level is 150 micrograms per cubic meters.

The crisis prompted the Cabinet in Tehran on Thursday to ratify a bylaw that calls for measures to increase national preparedness to fight the hazardous consequences of dust pollution in the country.The bylaw urges a number of state bodies including the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Health, the Energy Ministry, the Meteorological Organization and the Department of Environment to set up a taskforce to keep a watchful eye on the situation.Silicon dioxide, calcium, potassium, carbon and other elements are found in the haze, which can damage the respiratory system