KUWAIT CITY, April 22: Dr Ali Al-Dousari, a researcher at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, says duststorms do not always have negative side effects, for there is also a positive side to them, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
Al-Dousari was speaking at a seminar organized by the Environment Public Authority to mark Earth Day.
He added that dust contains iron oxides-nutrient for aquatic plants in the sea.
He described the dust as an active component of the eco-system, which blows from several directions, including West Abdalli, Boubyan and Warba. He noted those areas are loaded with approximately 112 tons/square kilometers of sand per year.
Al-Dousari suggested the establishment of green belts as the basis of scientific studies to combat duststorms, and called for grazing areas in the country to be determined accurately. He maintained grazing is among the major causes of desertification in Kuwait, and stressed the importance of protecting the country’s northern region which contains considerable plantation but suffers from significant grazing.