Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
Environmental authorities in Iraq’s Al-Anbar province plan legal action after sewage flowed into the Euphrates River in Hit, raising concerns over water pollution and potential health and ecological risks, Al-Anbar Environment Director Qais Najeh told Shafaq News.
Najeh said an inspection team was heading to the site and that recorded violations warranted measures under Iraq’s 2009 Environmental Protection and Improvement Law, ranging from warnings and closure orders to judicial referral.
Sewage discharged without treatment can carry organic and chemical pollutants and microbes that affect water quality and aquatic ecosystems, according to environmental specialist Ali Al-Hazim.
On September 24, Iraq’s parliament approved recommendations from a committee investigating river pollution, while lawmaker Youssef Al-Kalabi said about 10 million cubic meters of pollutants and waste are discharged into waterways nationwide.
Al-Anbar environmental authorities had already fined the provincial Sewerage Directorate and filed a lawsuit in July over continued untreated wastewater discharge. Treatment projects were also underway in Ramadi, Fallujah, and Hit.