Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture has announced a joint project with Kuwait aimed at reducing dust and sand storms that have increased in frequency and intensity over the past two years.

Dust storms have increased in frequency and intensity over the past few years across the Middle East, affecting all countries in the region due to the effects of climate change. The announcement by both Baghdad and Kuwait City comes as the UN called for efforts to tackle the growing problem.

Bassam Kanaan Abdul Jabbar, director of Forests and Desertification at the ministry, said in a statement to the official newspaper that "there is cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait in one of the projects in southern Iraq to treat sand dunes and limit their advance and impact in stirring up sand and dust storms".

He added that "the Iraqi-Kuwaiti project targets reducing the negative impacts of storms and working to minimise them", noting that "Iraq is seriously cooperating in the field of storms and desertification with many international organisations such as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme, to find a cooperation formula to reduce the negative impacts of these storms".

Abdul Jabbar said that "combating desertification requires national effort from all ministries and institutions to reduce the negative effects of this phenomenon that has caused an increase in dust and sand storms, which have begun to significantly affect the citizens' economic and social life and health situation".

He pointed to the "care and rehabilitation of 11 forests spread across some Iraqi governorates, including Wasit, Baghdad, Nineveh and Kirkuk, within procedures aimed at creating natural windbreaks for storms".

The official noted that Iraq is working with multiple international partners beyond Kuwait to address what has become a significant environmental and public health challenge affecting citizens' daily lives across economic, social and health dimensions.

The announcement by the two countries comes as dust storms continue to wreak havoc across the region, with neighbouring countries, including Iran, having announced several warnings in recent months.

On June 1, a powerful dust storm forced the closure of the Zabol-Zahedan highway in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran, near the border with Pakistan.

The Meteorological Department of Sistan-Baluchestan issued an orange-level warning for the northern regions of the province, predicting strong winds and severe dust storms from June 1 to 3.

Zahedan and the surrounding areas are expected to experience reduced air quality and visibility, potentially disrupting daily activities and travel.