Desert dust hailing from North Africa has been making its way through Turkey since early April. Moving from west to east, its next target is eastern Turkey. Either in the form of dust storms or fine particles carried in the breeze, the dust will dominate the weather in the region on Tuesday, after making its foray into the country's east on Monday.
Authorities urged the public to exert caution when going out while the governorate of southeastern Şırnak province advised residents to stay indoors unless there is an emergency. The governorate said in a statement that the dense dust storm which manifested in recent weeks will be more prevalent on Monday and Tuesday. The statement said the dust sweeping the region is particularly harmful to people with lung infections, asthma, bronchitis, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as pregnant women, the elderly and children.
"People should act cautiously due to the lower visibility, decline in air quality, muddy precipitation and disruption in transportation," the governorate said, urging locals to wear protective masks while going out. The governorate of Kars province also warned the public to take personal precautions against the dust storm that is set to continue well into Wednesday.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS) had earlier warned that the dust would be moving through the eastern regions on Monday and Tuesday.
A dust storm, worsened by strong winds, disrupted traffic on a road connecting the central province of Aksaray to the southern province of Adana on Monday. The road was closed to traffic with traffic police diverting vehicles to nearby rest stops. Aksaray was already hit by severe winds that ripped apart roofs of buildings and toppled trees.
Dust storms are becoming more common in Turkey though how their fallout affects the population is unclear, so to speak, as they are still minor. Experts tie the increased prevalence of dust to a number of factors, particularly the climate crisis and desertification. Professor Doğanay Tolunay, an ecology and soil sciences expert from Istanbul University, says the loss of vegetation in arid and semi-arid areas is the primary cause of dust storms. Tolunay says central Anatolia and southeastern regions had these climate features and a change in climate turning other regions into "arid, semi-arid" areas may exacerbate the impact of dust storms or simple movement of dust.
"A rise in temperatures and a drop in precipitation means a drought in regions and provinces where dust storms concentrate, particularly Konya, Karaman, Niğde, Ankara, Iğdır and Şanlıurfa," he recently told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview. Tolunay pointed out that Turkey may see "more intense and more frequent" dust storms in the near future.