Sand and Dust Storms: Recent Developments in Impact Mitigation

Sand and dust storms (SDS) pose a wide range of hazards to human society, affecting people in drylands and beyond. This paper, based on a wide-ranging review of the scientific and grey literature, presents, for the first time, a comprehensive synthesis of mitigation and adaptation interventions designed to manage the risks involved and thus build resilience to these SDS hazards in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) and the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights case studies and good practice examples of measures available to reduce the risks and impacts associated with SDS beyond SDS source areas. These measures, which are interrelated and complementary, are summarized under education initiatives (for schools, specific sectors and vulnerable groups), risk/impact assessments (involving information on hazard, exposure and vulnerability), vulnerability assessment/mapping, integrated monitoring and early warning (using the World Meteorological Organization's Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System, or SDS-WAS) and emergency response and risk reduction plans (including contingency planning). Many of these measures are developed for other hazards, but not for SDS. Data availability is an important issue in this regard, and the example of Kuwait illustrates that even with a relatively good understanding of SDS, many aspects of impact mitigation remain poorly understood. Developing appropriate responses to SDS hazards is a matter of some urgency given climate change projections that indicate more frequent and intense SDS emissions due to increased aridity and worsening drought conditions (frequency, severity and duration).