Dust levels three times as bad yesterday

THE DUST levels in the atmosphere increased yesterday with concentrations as high as 213 ?g/m³ being recorded in Limassol.

The safety guideline issued by the government stands at 50?g/m³.  In Nicosia levels of 136?g/m³ were recorded, in Paphos 130?g/m³ and in Larnaca 90?g/m³.

The high levels of dust currently being experienced across Cyprus are due to a cyclonic system in the Atlas mountain range of Algeria and Morocco which raised dust into the higher atmosphere from where it was blown across to Cyprus by the prevailing south-westerly wind.  The atmosphere is forecast to clear up on Sunday when light rains will occur.

Savvas Cleanthous, of the Air Quality branch of the Department of Labour Supervision, advised sensitive sectors of the population, including the elderly, schoolchildren and pregnant women, to take precautions against the dust phenomenon, such as staying indoors or wearing protective masks when venturing outside.

Cleanthous also advised the public more widely to take added precautions during the time whilst the dust remains in the atmosphere at high concentrations.  “Today the condition is worse than yesterday, and has been relative to the morning.  It is advisable to avoid unnecessary journeys to the countryside and trips to areas which have a high dust concentration,” he said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.