(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
Large parts of the United Arab Emirates were hit by dust and
sandstorms as authorities urged caution on the roads and battened
down for expected heavy rain, Trend reports citing Al
Arabiya .
Homes and landmarks in major cities were caked in a fine layer
of brown dirt and visibility plunged in the latest adverse weather
following a series of choking dust storms around the Middle
East.
On Saturday, Abu Dhabi's official media office urged motorists
to“avoid driving unless absolutely necessary”. Visibility was
below 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Sunday.
Forecasts of rainstorms this week, unusual in high summer in the
desert state, follow the deaths of seven Asian migrants in flash
flooding last month.
Emergency services said they had answered hundreds of calls for
help as floodwaters swamped the streets of the port city of
Fujairah and other eastern districts.
A series of sandstorms, widely thought to be exacerbated by
climate change, have smothered Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran and
others this year, closing airports and schools and sending
thousands to hospital with breathing problems.
The UAE is highly vulnerable to global warming, according to the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, as temperatures soar,
rainfall dries up and storms increase, while rising sea levels
threaten its low-lying coast.
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