In a cabinet meeting chaired by President Rouhani late on Sunday, the health ministry and the Environmental Protection Organization briefed the cabinet members on the phenomenon of dust particles in the southwestern province of Khuzestan and some other parts of the country.
It was agreed that necessary measures would be taken to prevent air pollution in the areas, including desert greening and reviving wetlands in the arid regions.
The cabinet also approved to fund the plans aimed at resolving the problem and equip medical centers in a bid to provide better services to patients with diseases caused by inhaling dust particles.
Iranian residents in the western and southwestern provinces, bordering Iraq, have been faced in recent years with a growing trend in the influx of fine particles, which are generated by drought-hit marshlands in neighboring countries.
The particles, carried by winds, can penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing serious diseases such as lung cancer, asthma and heart problems.
