Environment & Energy | Friday 16 December, 2016 2:19 am |

A heavy sandstorm blanketed Saudi Arabia’s capital on Thursday, reducing visibility at times to less than a meter.
Riyadh residents saw their city once again enveloped by dust as authorities put out safety messages to the inhabitants of the country’s largest population center.
The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) issued a warning to motorists to drive carefully due to the wind speed at 20.4 kilometers per hour blowing north-northeast, kicking up dust that made the horizon hazy.
With the visibility being so low, motorist have been struggling to cope while navigating the capital’s roads.
Cenon C. Sagadal Jr., a bank marketing officer, said that he was able to drive along King Fahd Road from Olaya district at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon but could not see a great distance ahead.
“The atmosphere looked foggy. Driving became inconvenient as some motorists drove fast, even urging the drivers in front of them to drive faster ,” he said.
Alex V. Bello, a Filipino community leader, added that motorists should be careful while driving because accidents had happened in the past as a result of heavy sandstorms.
“It’s better to be delayed in arriving home or wherever we’re going than to suffer from accident which could be fatal  due to sandstorm,” he said.
Sandstorms can cause health problem if people are exposed to the dust for too long.
The Ministry of Health advised residents to take safety measures when heading outdoors. “It is important to wear a protective medical mask when leaving the house since the dust will agitate the respiratory system,” posted the ministry in an Arabic tweet on its Riyadh account.
The capital isn’t a stranger to sandstorms with occurrences this year in August, March and February.