The days of Eid al-Adha represent a golden opportunity for increasing revenues for parks, tourist areas, and amusement cities in the private sector in Diyala and other provinces. However, the situation this June is different due to warnings about ultraviolet (UV) rays, which have reduced the flow of families by up to 60%, with some describing the revenues as limited and resulting in losses for some.
Raouf Ali, a park owner, stated to "Baghdad Today": "Unfortunately for us this year, the heatwave is the longest in five years based on meteorological readings, coinciding with the first days of Eid al-Adha, accompanied by intense warnings about extremely high UV levels reaching 11 in the south and 10 degrees in Baghdad, which contributed to a 60% reduction in family attendance."
He mentioned that "most parks operate from 5 PM to midnight, and the numbers vary, but in general, these days cannot be described as golden, with temperatures nearing the boiling point."
Meanwhile, Hadi Al-Izzawi, an owner of an electronic games hall, noted that "the instability of electricity and repeated outages force him to rely on a generator, which costs him tens of thousands of dinars for each hour of operation." He added that "the level of attendance is limited due to the heat, and most have decided to head to the Kurdistan region due to the relatively moderate weather compared to the central and southern cities."
The meteorological authority warned in a report yesterday, Sunday, citizens to stay indoors starting today, Monday, due to a heatwave where temperatures exceed half the boiling point in some provinces, including Baghdad.
The warnings to avoid leaving homes are not only due to high temperatures but also stem from alerts by meteorologists and specialists advising against going out during the day over the coming days due to high UV indices, which directly affect human health, including skin and vision, among other negative impacts.
