Shafaq News- Baghdad

Twenty-three active pollution hotspots have been identified along the Tigris River within Baghdad, Iraq's Green Observatory revealed Monday, warning that untreated sewage, industrial waste, and medical runoff are flowing directly into the waterway.

The hotspots consist of pipes and discharge outlets releasing untreated heavy sewage, industrial effluents, and medical waste directly into the river.

The most hazardous sources, according to the Observatory, are tributary river outlets —chief among them the Diyala River, which it described as the single largest contributor to Tigris contamination. The Diyala carries massive volumes of untreated sewage from Rusafa district drainage stations, as well as discharge from major hospitals and medical centers, industrial facilities, power stations, water treatment plants, and unregulated drainage outlets in the northern provinces.

The Observatory warned that the combined pressure of these pollutants, compounded by declining water levels and reduced flow, is concentrating toxic materials in the river, causing severe damage to fish stocks and posing a direct threat to public health.

Southeast Baghdad recorded a severe environmental pollution crisis in April 2026, when floods swept toxic sludge and stagnant wastewater deposits from the Diyala River into surrounding areas, with oil slicks and untreated sewage also reported at the time.

Read more: Pollution gnaws at Iraq: Laws without teeth, fines without impact