Iraq faces severe environmental challenges amid World Environment Day celebrations
Shafaq News/ As the world celebrates World Environment Day, Iraq continues to suffer from severe environmental challenges, including pollution and poor environmental management.
A specialized environmental protection center has identified water scarcity and air pollution as Iraq's primary ecological challenges. In contrast, environmental observers highlight noise, visual, health pollution, and overpopulation as part of a "dangerous quadrant" that Iraq must address by 2030.
World Environment Day 2024
World Environment Day, organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and celebrated annually on June 5, is the largest global platform for environmental public awareness, celebrated by millions worldwide since 1973. This year, Saudi Arabia is the host of the 2024 celebrations. UNEP announced that this year's theme is " Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience."
The celebrations this year emphasize three key Sustainable Development Goals: ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, and protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
Despite these slogans, many countries are still grappling with pollution, including Iraq.
Environmental Threats
Omar Abdul Latif, a member of the Green Iraq Observatory, a civil organization focused on environmental protection, stated that "the most significant environmental threats facing Iraq are pollution and water scarcity, which have led to the destruction of many trees that protected the environment, desertification of lands, and dust storms adversely affecting human health."
Notably, Iraq secures 70% of its water revenues from outside its borders, and the government is working to coordinate with upstream countries regarding water revenues.
A UNESCO report on April 1 warned that Iraq could face a water war by 2050. Rising temperatures in Iraq have significantly reduced annual rainfall, currently at 30%, with projections indicating a decline to 65% by 2050.
"Air pollution caused by generators and vehicle emissions, exacerbated by overpopulation, is a significant issue," Abdul Latif told Shafaq News Agency. "Baghdad has a population of 9 million needing services and generators, with 7 million vehicles in Iraq, 4 million of them in the capital."
He added that "all these factors have worsened the environmental situation, alongside the division of houses and the loss of gardens that once cooled the atmosphere due to population pressure."
Regarding water pollution, Abdul Latif pointed to "government departments polluting water, causing diseases like cancer, especially in southern governorates, necessitating the installation of treatment plants to preserve the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers."
The Green Iraq Observatory member emphasized the importance of "water conservation and using modern irrigation techniques as practiced in neighboring countries, as Iraq may suffer from water scarcity in the coming year or the one after."
Iraq has long complained about unfair water policies by Turkiye, which has built numerous dams on the Tigris River, reducing Iraq's water shares. Additionally, Iran has diverted more than 30 rivers within its territory, preventing them from reaching Iraqi lands. These issues, coupled with drought and low rainfall over the past four years, have worsened Iraq's environmental and agricultural conditions.
The total water volume from the Tigris and Euphrates decreased significantly from 93.47 billion cubic meters in 2019 to 49.59 billion cubic meters in 2020, primarily due to actions by upstream countries.
On January 17, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced Iraq's agreement to join an alliance to ensure the protection of water sources.
Iraq loses 100 square kilometers of agricultural land annually due to desertification. A report by the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources concluded that expected severe droughts until 2025 could completely dry up the Euphrates in its southern sector, while the Tigris would become a watercourse with limited resources.
Waste and War Debris
Omar Abdul Latif noted that another significant pollutant is "the accumulation of waste, which affects the soil as the water it releases can seep into groundwater and contaminate it, especially since most of it is acidic and other substances. Therefore, this issue must be addressed, and waste recycling plants or energy-generating plants from waste, as seen in other countries, should be established."
Furthermore, the presence of landfill sites near residential areas poses significant health risks to residents, particularly with urban expansion encroaching on these sites. Specialists have called for relocating these sites far from populated areas to avoid their severe impacts, likened to "nuclear bombs."
In this regard, the head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq, Fadel Al-Gharawi, stated at the end of May that the average citizen contributes more than 2 kilograms of waste daily, resulting in a daily waste volume of 23 million tons, significantly polluting the air.
Mines and War Remnants
Successive conflicts, including attacks on oil and industrial assets, have created environmental pollution hotspots from military waste and toxic chemicals, posing threats to human health and the environment in Iraq.
Southern oil governorates, in particular, suffer from deteriorating environmental conditions, causing many diseases, as is the case with the Wasit Thermal Station, which has also caused significant health issues for residents, according to Health and Environment Parliamentary Committee member Muhassin Khairy Al-Dulaimi.
The MP from Wasit Governorate told Shafaq News Agency, "Mines are still scattered in the Badra district of Wasit, causing numerous deaths, injuries, and permanent disabilities over time."
On April 15, the Iraqi Ministries of Planning and Environment announced an agreement on a mechanism to implement a demining strategy, aiming to declare Iraq free of mines by 2028.
Regarding the agreement, Deputy Minister of Planning Maher Hamad Johan stated that "measures are being implemented to address climate change and mitigate its effects on Iraq, and to clear Iraqi lands of mine remnants, which pose a significant threat to people's lives and hinder development projects."
Environment Minister Nizar Amidi confirmed that "6,000 square kilometers are contaminated with mines," stressing the importance of adhering to the timeline set in the strategy developed by the Ministry of Environment, which aims to declare Iraq completely mine-free by 2028.
The World Bank estimated in 2018 that 47% of Iraq's natural forests were destroyed, and 2.4 million hectares of land became unusable due to mines.
Studies indicate that there are 76 pollution hotspots in Iraq, 51 of which are contaminated with oil and 23 with hazardous chemicals, affecting 1.7 million citizens and causing annual losses of approximately $1.5 billion.
Dangerous Quadrant
Batoul Qasim Ali, head of the Iraqi Health Observers Association, said, "The main problems facing Iraq are air pollution, drought, population pressure that generates more waste, poor waste management, poor oil management, and poor water treatment management."
Ali told Shafaq News Agency that "Baghdad suffers from environmental (noise, visual, health) and population pollution, all of which form a dangerous quadrant that Iraq faces until 2030."
She called for "the creation of training committees specialized in environmental monitoring and management, producing environmental experts to improve the overall environmental condition."
Air pollution leads to millions of deaths annually and increases cancer rates. According to the World Health Organization, 99% of the world's population breathes unhealthy air.
According to the latest global survey by Swiss air purifier manufacturer IQAir in 2023, Iraq ranked second among the world's most polluted countries, with air quality deteriorating to 80.1 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter from 49.7 micrograms in 2021.
Baghdad ranked 13th among the world's most polluted cities, with air quality deteriorating to 86.7 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter from 49.7 micrograms. Erbil recorded pollution levels of 34 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter, which is considered moderate for air quality.
WHO estimates indicate that about 37% of premature deaths from outdoor air pollution in 2019 were due to ischemic heart disease and stroke, while 18% and 23% were attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute lower respiratory infections, respectively. Respiratory cancers caused 11% of these deaths.
Exposure to PM2.5 particles increases the risk of lung cancer. Additionally, "nearly 50 million people in the Arab world face severe shortages of basic drinking water, while 390 million people, nearly 90% of the population, live in countries experiencing water scarcity."
