To fight dust storms: Baghdad unveils its largest-ever tree-planting campaign

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Baghdad authorities have launched the capital’s “largest tree-planting campaign,” aiming to blunt the impact of worsening dust storms, a seasonal problem Iraq suffers from yearly.

Read more: Iraq faces surge in dust storms from six hotspots.

Municipality spokesman Uday al-Jundil told Shafaq News that the drive began in al-Rasheed district after weeks of preparation, with thousands of trees and shrubs distributed to planting sites. The month-long effort will extend across Baghdad with wide participation from citizens, volunteers, and civil society groups, reflecting what he described as a “spirit of community partnership” in backing the city’s environmental push.

Volunteers, students, and academics are planting eucalyptus, acacia, and other hardy species in public squares, road junctions, and residential neighborhoods.

“This is the biggest tree-planting campaign Baghdad has seen,” university professor Alaa Najah, a participant, told Shafaq News. “It will run for a month, during which thousands of trees will be planted to improve the environment and highlight the city’s beauty.”

Unlike earlier campaigns, al-Jundil explained, the scale, variety, and distribution of trees align with government directives to expand green cover. Irrigation systems are being installed to sustain the plantings, and new sites—parks, gardens, and road medians—are included.

The drive follows a 2023 nationwide initiative by the cabinet’s NGO office to plant one million trees and seedlings to fight desertification and promote sustainable development.