TEHRAN – A special working group has been formed to combat sand and dust storms (SDSs) hitting Tehran province, said the provincial department of environment’s deputy director for monitoring and supervision affairs.

Touching on the fact that sand and dust storm is a complex and technical issue, Mohammad Rastegari said that the decision to establish the working group was taken some two weeks ago in the last session of Tehran’s working group on combating air pollution, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

Due to the low precipitation rate in Tehran province during last year and the resulting drought, the occurrence of sand and dust storms is projected in the region and this has prompted officials to face this environmental challenge more seriously, he added.

The first session of the working group was held on Wednesday with representatives of the Department of Environment, the ministries of agriculture and industry, the Management and Planning Organization, and Tehran governor’s office in attendance, Rastegari concluded.

MAH/MQ/MG