Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Environmental authorities in Iraq's Al-Anbar Province launched field inspections to identify sources of pollution in the Euphrates River, the head of the province's Environment Directorate told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Qais Najeh said inspection teams surveyed factories near the Euphrates, vehicle wash and lubrication stations, and sewage outfalls releasing untreated wastewater into the river to curb pollution and protect water resources. The directorate has taken legal action against violators, including imposing fines on the Al-Anbar Sewerage Directorate and filing a lawsuit over its continued discharge of untreated wastewater.

The directorate also referred the issue to the Al-Anbar Provincial Council, which ordered the formation of a specialized committee to investigate the causes of pollution in the Euphrates and oversee measures to address the problem.

According to Najeh, the council is implementing wastewater treatment projects, including treatment plants in Ramadi, Fallujah, and Hit, as well as another under construction in Habbaniyah. The first phase of the projects has been completed, while authorities are awaiting funding to begin the second phase, which includes connecting all district sewage networks to treatment plants.

Earlier this month, an environmental survey identified 54 pollution hotspots and environmental violations along the river between the Iraq-Syria border and Haditha Lake, including untreated sewage discharges, unlicensed fish farms and sand quarries, dumping of animal waste, construction debris, and illegal encroachments on the riverbanks.

Read more: Al-Anbar: An unfinished chapter in Iraq’s water story