Dubai: Dusty conditions are slowly lifting across the UAE bringing relief to residents who have spent the better of the week indoors to escape the inclement weather.
As predicted by the National Centre of Meteorology in Abu Dhabi, air quality and visibility are slowing improving with the weather forecast of these to clear in full by the coming weekend.
Readings from air stations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai showed that air quality is improving.
Kalba was the only area of the country listed by the weather centre on Wednesday as having extremely bad air quality and was labelled as “very unhealthy”.
The Marine and Geodetic Survey Section of the Survey Department at Dubai Municipality warned on Tuesday those with breathing problems to stay indoors.
“The municipality has also warned asthma patients and those who suffer from respiratory diseases to keep indoors as it is expected that the impact of dust on the atmosphere of the emirate will last until Wednesday or the end of the week and the situation will gradually improve thereafter,” the municipality said in a statement.
According to real-time air quality app BreezoMeter, the UAE was still tagged with a “low air quality” ranking but had improved considerably on Wednesday from last weekend’s dust storm over the country brought on by Indian monsoon effects in the Indian Ocean.
At Al Karama Street in Abu Dhabi, the app’s air quality reading was 33 points out of 100, an improvement from 26 points on Tuesday and only nine points on Monday.
The advisory noted that Abu Dhabi residents “don’t need to stay inside but try to find a cleaner place in the area” with better air conditions.
Dubai’s air quality readings at Al Safa Street stayed similar on Wednesday with a reading of 19 points out of 100, the same as Tuesday but still far better than the four points registered on Monday in the thick of sandy conditions.
“You don’t want to breathe the air outside. Take our word for it and stay indoors,” BreezoMeter advised residents living in Dubai.
Meanwhile, as the dust settles, hazy conditions will continue on Thursday and into the weekend as hot and hazy weather persist with “a chance of local rainy convective clouds formation eastward by afternoon, extending to some internal and southern areas”, the weather centre said.
Normal seasonal hot and hazy weather will continue on Saturday with a chance of rain inland, in the south and in the eastern areas.
