Al-Bawareh Winds in Iraq "Impact and Challenges"

2024-06-15

by Assistant Professor Dr. Ahmed Jassam Mikhlif

Upper Euphrates Basin Developing Centre / University of Anbar

Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are exposed to the blowing of Al-Bawareh winds for a period of (35-40) days, and its season is the end of the fifth month to the end of the sixth month, It is a weather phenomenon that greatly affects the climate of Iraq, and it is dry, hot and dust-laden northwesterly winds that may sometimes reach speeds of more than 50 km / h, which leads to the formation of sandstorms in severe cases, The speed of the Al-Bawareh winds varies according to the convergence of the different pressure bands and the specific temperature difference between land and water, and the times of their blowing in the year coinciding with the seasonal depression that affects three continents, these winds are active during the day and calm down during the evening, so the weather will start from today loaded with a percentage of dust with a intensity in the wind speed varying during daylight hours, and the Bedouins called it this name (Al-Bawareh) because the names of the winds in the Bedouins are different they call it according to the conditions in which it blows or the proportion of To what it does in the country, and Al-Bawareh is an Arabic word that means erasure and removal, because it works to remove weakly cohesive soil atoms and remove them from their places, and even transfer them to other places, and these winds are one of the causes of desertification in the country, and often strong winds lead to weather disturbance and cause damage in the affected areas.

Among the effects of the Al-Bawareh winds:

1-    High temperatures: They contribute to the transfer of dry air after it was heated in desert areas to the interior regions of Iraq.

2-    Affects human health: Individuals, especially those with respiratory diseases and allergies, suffer in the affected areas, and harm the eyes, especially in open desert areas.

3-    Heat stress and drought can lead to increased mortality, especially among the elderly and among workers.

4-    Effect on plants and crops: leads to an increase in the percentage of transpiration evaporation (plant stress) as well as breaking tree branches in case of strong winds.

Sustainable challenges and strategies to deal with the winds of Al-Bawareh:

1-    Challenges to buildings and infrastructure: Al-Bawareh winds lead to erosion of buildings and damage to infrastructure due to the feature of erasure and removal, especially areas of weakness.

2-    Challenges on water: Strategies must be developed to deal with water and conserve water resources in a way that reduces evaporation values, especially at the time of Al-Bawareh winds, due to the high temperature and drought it carries with it.

3-    Challenges to agriculture: Use modern irrigation techniques, and avoid irrigating crops in the afternoon.

4-    Challenges to the environment that contribute to the occurrence of dust and sand storms: Therefore, it is recommended to afforestation and make green belts as they work in the form of windbreaks that contribute to reducing the severity of their speed, as well as increasing the cohesion of the soil, and thus reduces the load of dust and dust in the layers of the atmosphere.

The Al-Bawareh winds represent a real challenge for Iraq and must be seriously dealt with by the concerned authorities. Real sustainable strategies must be developed to deal with this phenomenon and preserve the environment and public health.

A map showing the mass of dust due to the blowing of Al-Bawareh winds on Iraq on 29/5/2024

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