What is the truth about the post containing a warning issued by an observatory director named Najah regarding the ultraviolet index in Iraq reaching the number 14?
Circulating on social media is a news report stating the following: "Urgent: The director of the astronomical observatory, Dr. Najah, calls on the Iraqi government to activate sirens throughout the country and instruct the army to clear the streets of pedestrians after the ultraviolet level reached 14. This level is considered the most dangerous level and carcinogenic rays in case of direct exposure to sunlight."
Clarification
Upon investigating the details of the circulating news, we did not find any evidence that a person named (Najah), working as the director of an astronomical observatory, called on the Iraqi government to take precautionary measures after the ultraviolet level rose.
Regarding the claim that the ultraviolet level reached the number 14, it is inaccurate. However, the ultraviolet level for today reached the number 10 (very high level) and is expected to reach the number 11 (extreme level) in the coming days. This warrants extreme caution and avoiding direct exposure to sunlight for prolonged periods, especially during noon hours, due to the health risks such as (sunburn, premature skin aging, eye damage such as conjunctivitis, and in the worst cases, skin cancer).
Ten Iraqi provinces have announced the suspension of official work today, Thursday, July 11, 2024, due to the high temperatures exceeding half the boiling point (50 degrees Celsius) in some areas, according to the General Authority for Meteorology at the Iraqi Ministry of Transport.
Iraq, ranked fifth among the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, suffers from a decline in green spaces and a lack of vegetation cover. This is due to several reasons, the most prominent of which are drought and water scarcity.