In recent years, hot weather and successive rainfalls in Tajikistan have caused an increase in respiratory diseases. Reporters of “France Press” talked to several people about the dusty weather of Dushanbe.
Dusting. Dushanbe is surrounded by dust. Residents of the capital of Tajikistan have been witnessing such a scene more and more in recent years. “Dust falls frequently and is unpleasant. It makes breathing difficult,” says Nigora Yusufova, a resident of the capital.
While doctors advise drinking a lot of water and wearing a mask in such conditions, Nigora Yusufova says, “It is not appropriate to wear a mask because it interferes with breathing. It has become difficult and uncomfortable to live like this.”
Similar events, according to experts, are the result of climate change. Not only in Tajikistan, but throughout Central Asia. Residents say that they bear the brunt of the changes.
According to Munira Khushkadamova from Dushanbe, “I have been suffering from illness for several years. I cannot stand in the dust. Cough hurts. They write me a prescription, I get treatment, I feel a little better.”
Faisal Sakhiroy works in one of the hospitals in Dushanbe. Every now and then, patients come to him, who are suffering from increased dust.
He said: “In recent decades, heart and lung disease has been increasing in Tajikistan. Dust has a negative effect on the body. If the amount of dust is high, it causes upper respiratory tract disease. If the amount of dust is small, it causes diseases of the lower respiratory tract, diseases of the heart and the whole organism.”
Tajikistan is among the ten most polluted countries in the world in the 2022 air cleanliness index.
Zebunniso Muminzoda from the Central Asian Ecological Center says that in the 1990s, dust storms were observed in Tajikistan two or three times a year, but now it has reached 35 cases. A dust storm is rising from the dry parts of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan, the plains of Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.
“Wind has increased, snowfall and rain are less. Also, human factors cause precipitation. That is, cutting down forests, improper irrigation, and grazing cattle in the fields all year round,” said Mrs. Muminzoda.
The city of Dushanbe is like a cauldron, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides, but they are hidden from view by the rainfall. High-rise buildings as well.
Source : Радио Озоди