Riyadh did not witness “a single dust storm in 2023”... Al-Musnad explains the reason

Weather of Arabia - The Saudi academic and former professor of climate at Qassim University, Abdullah Al-Misnad, sparked widespread interaction among social media activists, after answering a question about the absence of any significant dust storms in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, during the year 2023.

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Al-Misnad posted previous videos of sandstorms and commented in a post on his page on the X platform (formerly Twitter), saying:

“Dust storms are considered one of the worst weather phenomena that negatively affect Saudi Arabia and the region in general, as they affect mood, health, education, work, tourism, travel, trade, and even animals and plants, and this is scientifically proven. Although the dangers of dust storms are many, However, by God’s grace and mercy, dust storms have become few during the last three years, and no sandstorm of note was recorded in Riyadh during the year 2023, and this also applies to many Saudi cities and governorates.”

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Al-Misnad explained that the reasons behind this go back to Saudi Vision 2030 , which focused on addressing environmental degradation through expanding the spread of natural reserves, which now cover 14% of the area of Saudi Arabia. These reserves, most of which are in the northern regions and parts of the eastern central region, contributed to preventing grazing. Excessive logging and plowing of the soil by hikers' vehicles made the soil relatively compact, led to the spread of seeds and the expansion of the spring area year after year, which made the earth's crust more solid and resistant to winds, and thus reduced the spread of dust.

He added: “Secondly, the successive rainy seasons in recent years have contributed to the spread of spring inside and outside the reserve areas.

Thirdly, the cold and warm air fronts coming with the Mediterranean lows were not as strong as we were accustomed to, thanks to God.”

Al-Musnad continued, saying:

“Dust storms are a natural phenomenon that occur in many parts of the world, and their occurrence cannot be completely prevented, but their effects can be reduced by taking preventive steps, such as expanding protected areas, and through the Saudi Green Initiative.”

It is noteworthy that the Saudi Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced in 2022 that Saudi Arabia decided to support Green Middle East Initiative projects with $2.5 billion over the next ten years, during his participation in the “Green Middle East Initiative” summit on the sidelines of the World Climate Summit ( Cup 27) in Sharm El Sheikh.

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Sources:

cnn