Environmental and socio‐economic impacts of dust storms in Sistan Region, Iran

Abstract

Sustained drought and reduced precipitation for more than four years in the Sistan region, has dried the Hamoun Lake and local vegetation, significantly reducing ground cover. These conditions have permitted strong wind erosion on already susceptible land. Data analysis revealed that instead of the normal 120 days of strong winds, dust storms occurred for 338 days in the region during 2000–2004. This included 18 days of intensive dust storms and 51 days of moderate dust storms in Zabol. An attempt has been made to quantify the damage costs using an analytical‐descriptive method based on questionnaires completed by the local community and organizations. The cumulative losses in terms of physical damage and loss of productive man‐hours have been estimated at US$124.85 million, over a four‐year period between 2000 and 2005.