FNA- Iranian and Japanese environment officials in a meeting in Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost their cooperation on harnessing dust particles and dust storms.

The MoU was signed between Iran's Department of Environment and Japan's Ministry of Environment in the Iranian capital on Tuesday.

As per MoU, the Japanese environment ministry has agreed to help the Iranian side in the field of environment.

The two sides discussed dust particle pollution forecasting and warning during the meeting.

The Japanese delegation pointed to Japan’s experience in particle pollution forecasting and warning, and said that the Japanese system, invented by its academic society, had already been installed in Mongolia and China.

“The system is capable of identifying and forecasting dust clouds up to 12 meters high,” the delegation added.

Manager of the National Campaign Against Dust Storms Ziaeddin Shoaei, for his part, described the dust storms during last winter in Khuzestan as unprecedented in the world, and said, "There is an immediate need for an on-time warning system on air pollution."

Japan’s Environment Ministry Deputy Director General for International Affairs Michio Kakegawa said that the system will be tested in in Khuzestan province in Southern Iran and then in Iraq.

In a relevant development on April 29, Iran and Japan signed another MoU on environmental cooperation.

The MoU covered areas of cooperation between the two countries in ecotourism, particularly in national parks and protected areas, electronic waste management, low-carbon economy and research and development on new technologies.