Shafaq News – Baghdad

Air pollution in the city of Bismayah, southeast of Baghdad, has reached the highest levels in Iraq, an environmental watchdog revealed on Thursday, warning of a growing health emergency.

In a statement, the Green Iraq Observatory described Bismayah as a city that could have been a clean, modern residential model, given its distance from the capital’s congestion. Instead, it explained, the area is now surrounded by unlicensed brick factories and burning waste dumps that have turned its air into one of the country’s most polluted.

The observatory reported that thick smog covers the city from morning until night, spreading toward central Baghdad and causing numerous suffocation cases—some requiring hospitalization. It warned that ongoing exposure threatens to increase respiratory diseases and visibly damage buildings, gardens, and vegetation.

Calling for immediate action, the watchdog urged authorities to create green belts around Bismayah and enforce tougher penalties against polluting factories and waste burners operating nearby.

Pollution is steadily engulfing Iraq—particularly Baghdad—through noise, air, water, and soil, posing a daily threat to millions. Despite decades of environmental legislation, contamination continues to worsen nationwide, as fines remain largely symbolic and enforcement too weak to curb the crisis.

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

Last week, the observatory linked Baghdad’s persistent air pollution to unchecked waste burning and unregulated industry, warning that without accountability, the capital’s air quality will continue to deteriorate.