With dust turning the skies ocher across the Middle East, Israel’s southern desert region is a hotspot where residents face increased air pollution when storms hit.

On a hill overlooking Beer Sheva, the largest city in the Negev desert, Professor Victor Novack watches the mist.

“The dust is coming from the Sahara, in this direction,” he said, one arm sweeping south.

“During the periods of transition—spring, [autumn] – it’s blowing all over the Middle East and southern European countries,” said Professor Novack, who is head of clinical research at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba, ahead of World Diabetes Day. environment on June 5.

Such storms in recent weeks have prompted the Israeli government to issue air pollution warnings, telling vulnerable groups to avoid outdoor exercise.

While natural dust has swept across the region for millennia, in recent decades human activity has increasingly been a source of dust storms.

The World Bank attributed this to “land use change and human-induced climate change” in a 2019 report.

In Beersheba, construction cranes dot the skyline as the city of more than 200,000 people grows.

Although the Negev is Israel’s driest region, an April government alert warned of ‘heavy air pollution in most parts of the country’ following a dust storm crossing the eastern border.

There has been an increase in dust from the east over the past decade, according to Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, but, notably, a reduction in dust from the west.

“We have seen a decrease in the [overall] number of dust storms approaching us,” said Eitan Maza, an air quality forecaster with the ministry. The National.

In a farming community a few miles north of Beersheba, a resident said the huge growth in car use was affecting the area.

“The biggest problem is vehicles on the roads,” said Ron Cohen, agricultural manager for Kibbutz Lahav and surrounding communities.

“There’s a lot of dust from the vehicles, there’s also a lot of dust in the air. Why? Because it’s near the desert and because of the winds,” he said.

While overseeing fruit, vegetable and nut farming, Cohen has noticed rising temperatures and gradual delays in the onset of winter rains in recent years.

For elderly Negev residents or those with health conditions, such as diabetes or lung problems, the onset of a dust storm carries significant risks.

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“We looked at the purchase of inhalers [for asthmatics], the day of the dust storm, the next day. It increases by 100%,” Professor Novack said.

There is a 20% increase in the number of patients admitted to Soroka Hospital for lung diseases during the storms, he said.

Israel’s Health Ministry did not provide figures on patients treated for dust-related issues over the years when contacted by The National.

However, a study of Israel, Greece and Cyprus published last year by the World Health Organization reported that dust storms affect the respiratory system and people with allergies and asthma.

Globally, the World Bank estimates that dust emissions “have increased by 25-50% over the past century”.

If the trend continues, more countries may soon have to adapt their health systems to deal with the effects.

For Professor Novack, the data currently being collected in Israel and the wider Middle East could prove invaluable.

“We have to be ready, and the solutions will probably come from this part of the world,” he said. “Becoming aware of what everyone will experience.”

Updated: June 03, 2022, 11:06 a.m.