500 pollution sources threaten Iraq’s Tigris River
Shafaq News- Baghdad
About 500 permanent pollution sources are contaminating the Tigris River, threatening millions of Iraqis and worsening water and food-security risks, the Iraq Green Observatory warned on Sunday.
Industrial and medical waste and untreated sewage continue to enter the river directly or indirectly, with the Observatory describing Iraq’s water crisis as having expanded beyond declining flows into a “toxic catastrophe.”
Baghdad alone has 23 severe pollution hotspots, including outlets discharging heavy sewage and hospital waste without treatment. The Observatory identified the Diyala River as the largest conduit of pollution into the Tigris, carrying large volumes of chemical and organic wastewater from eastern Baghdad.
Its assessment also detected concentrated pollutants including polychlorinated biphenyls and the phthalate DEHP, which are difficult to remove through “conventional treatment systems” and increase the risk of chronic diseases and endocrine disorders.
Basra is the most affected province, according to the Observatory, as upstream pollution accumulates alongside rising salinity and saltwater intrusion. Deteriorating conditions can result in untreated or poorly treated water reaching homes. In 2018, a major water crisis in the province sickened more than 150,000 people.
Baghdad is also among the hardest-hit areas because of its dependence on the Tigris for drinking water and the concentration of uncontrolled discharge points. Wasit and Maysan receive pollution carried downstream from Baghdad and the Diyala River, while Dhi Qar faces deteriorating water quality across the lower basin, marshes, and secondary waterways.
A 2026 World Bank report estimated that more than 70% of sewage in Iraqi urban areas is discharged untreated into rivers and waterways, while sewerage coverage remains below 30%. Only 60% of households reported having water that was both safe and consistently available.
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