In Athens, the capital of Greece, a dense haze of dust from the Sahara desert has settled over the entire city, currently immersed in an orange atmosphere. It had already happened between the end of March and the beginning of April, but according to the government the current episode is one of the worst episodes of this type since 2018. According to the Greek national meteorological service, the dust clouds should progressively thin out starting today, Wednesday.
Due to the haze, both in Athens and other areas of the country the air quality has considerably worsened: for this reason people with respiratory problems have been invited to limit the time spent outdoors and to wear protective masks until the clouds they will not have completely thinned out.
The Sahara desert releases from 60 to 200 million tons of dust every year: most of it settles quickly to the ground, but its finest components can travel very long distances, even reaching Europe. In Greece, the effects of dust clouds on air quality have also been aggravated by the presence of fires: 25 in the last 24 hours, according to the fire brigade.
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