Bonn, Nov. 17, (dpa/GNA) – United Nations experts at a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, have warned of a dramatic increase in sand and dust storms as global desertification advances.
Desertification is a process in which arable land becomes desert due to natural processes or human activity.
The Bonn-based UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) announced on Wednesday that sand and dust storms are an underestimated problem that is now occurring much more frequently in several parts of the world.
Sandstorms are causing devastating damage in North and Central Asia as far as Africa, it said. Soil is being eroded in the affected areas and crops are failing.
According to the UNCCD experts, in addition to the resulting economic consequences, there may also be health problems such as respiratory diseases.
Human activity is a significant contributor to the problem, according to the UNCCD, and global and regional political responses are needed.
Although there are limited benefits – the sandstorms also transport soil nutrients from which other areas benefit – these do not outweigh the damage.
According to the UNCCD, the effects of the phenomenon also extend far beyond the areas where they are taking place.
According to estimates, 2 billion tons of sand and dust are released into the atmosphere worldwide every year. One of the main sources is the Aral Sea in Central Asia: more than 100 million tons of dust and toxic salts are stirred up there every year.
The UNCCD is meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, until Friday.
According to UNCCD experts, the fact that the phenomenon is underestimated as a disaster risk in parts of the world is probably because in many cases there are no immediate fatalities. The long-term health, economic and other effects are, in turn, poorly documented.
GNA