Shafaq News – Baghdad

Baghdad residents woke on Tuesday to a heavy haze that pushed the city’s air quality index into the “purple” zone, signaling very unhealthy conditions, as authorities blamed factories for burning waste illegally during the night.

In a statement, the Ministry of Environment said the smog resulted from a surge in clandestine after-midnight operations on the capital’s outskirts, specifically identifying the Al-Rashid Camp area as a major source.

Asphalt, brick, and smelting facilities routinely run furnaces after dark to evade inspectors, releasing thick smoke that settles over the city before sunrise. A thermal inversion then trapped the pollution at ground level, stopping it from dispersing.

To address the root of the problem, the ministry urged the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) to accelerate loans that would allow small and medium factories to shift to cleaner burning systems and avoid recurring smog events.

Toxic Metrics

Meteorologist Sadiq Atia, in a post on Facebook, reported stagnant air sharply reduced visibility and drove up particulate levels. The Green Iraq Observatory also recorded elevated Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), a gas linked to respiratory distress.

According to Swiss tracker IQAir, Baghdad was the world’s second most polluted city on Tuesday, with index readings above 150 — levels deemed unsafe for the general population and especially hazardous for children and the elderly.