Official calls for concreted efforts
to counter sand, dust storms

An official with
the Forests, Range, and Watershed Management Organization, stressed the need
for collective and constant efforts to fight rising sand and dust storms.  

“We should make
use of the potential of our universities, researches and knowledge-based firms
in order to be able effectively counter desertification, which has set off
alarming bells in the country,” Vahid Jafarian said.

He added that we
also need to improve our technical and operational capabilities in this regard.

Iran is home to
about 3.8 percent of the world’s total desert areas. Some 61 percent of the
country’s area is covered by arid and semi-arid lands, which is 3.1 times the
global average.

Many countries
are working to reduce the rates of desertification. Trees and other vegetation
are being planted to break the force of the wind and to hold the soil.