Low rainfall and insufficient water in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have left Iraq bone dry for a second year, wrecking farm land, threatening water supplies and intensifying sandstorms.

A sandstorm in central and southern Iraq resulted in over 1,800 hospitalizations due to respiratory issues. Airports in Najaf and Basra were temporarily closed as visibility dropped significantly.

Sandstorm Turns Iraq’s Skies Orange and Sends Thousands to Hospitals Climate experts say such storms are becoming more frequent and severe in the country. This was its worst of the year so far.

Sandstorms in central and southern Iraq have led to the hospitalisation of more than 1,800 people due to respiratory issues, health officials said.. Mazen al-Egeili, a local official in the ...

A sandstorm swept through Iraq, filling the air with choking dust that closed airports and put more than 3,700 people in hospital with breathing difficulties, the health ministry said Tuesday.

The sandstorm blanketed Iraq's southern provinces in an orange cloud that reduced visibility to less than one kilometre (0.62 mile).

The sandstorm blanketed Iraq's southern provinces in an orange cloud that reduced visibility to less than one kilometre (0.62 mile). Image source, Getty Images. Image caption, ...

A sandstorm swept through Iraq, filling the air with choking dust that closed airports and put more than 3,700 people in hospital with breathing difficulties, the health ministry said ...

The sandstorm blanketed Iraq's southern provinces in an orange cloud that reduced visibility to less than one kilometre (0.62 mile). Getty Images. Visibility was reduced to less than one kilometre.

The sandstorm blanketed Iraq's southern provinces in an orange cloud that reduced visibility to less than one kilometre (0.62 mile). Visibility was reduced to less than one kilometre.

The sandstorm blanketed Iraq's southern provinces in an orange cloud that reduced visibility to less than one kilometre (0.62 mile). Image source, Getty Images. Image caption, ...