Iran: 'Unprecedented heat' prompts two-day public holiday

The Iranian government on Tuesday declared a two-day national holiday on Wednesday and Thursday in response to what it called an "unprecedented heatwave." The Cabinet announced the decision had been made in order to "protect public health."

Banks, judicial offices and schools will be closed during that time, and sporting events such as soccer games have been canceled. Hospitals have been put on high alert, with Ministry of Health spokesman Pedram Pakain calling the number of heat-related admissions over the last several days "alarming." 

The ministry also advised citizens to remain indoors between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to avoid the threat of heatstroke.

Temperatures across the country have climbed well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and are forecast to go above 50 degrees in the south over the next several days.

To make matters worse, meteorologists have warned of the risk presented by air pollution and potential sandstorms in the south. 

Large areas of Iran are covered by desert, and scientists have long warned the climate crisis, particularly drought, could especially hard hit the country.

On Monday, residents in the central Kurdish city of Divandarreh protested water cuts that have often left them without access to drinking water over the past several weeks, highlighting the larger issue of worsening water scarcity in the Islamic Republic.

js/lo (AFP, dpa)