Iraq’s top Shia authority, Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, on Wednesday ruled that dumpinguntreated sewage, solid waste, medical waste, or chemical pollutants intoIraq’s rivers is “religiously forbidden.”
In a written answer to a question, Al-Sistani’s officeexplained that such dumping causes public harm, making the offender “sinful”under Islamic law and, in some cases, liable for the damage caused. Environmental laws and instructions issued by competent state bodies must also“not be violated.”
Authorities should meanwhile provide alternative ways todispose of waste in a manner that protects the environment and public health,the office added.
Environment Minister Sarwa Abdulwahid described the decree asnational and religious backing for government efforts to protect waterresources and public health, noting that the ministry, in coordination withother state bodies, is continuing monitoring programs, legal measures, andshort- and long-term work to address pollution sources.
Videos had spread on social media showing severalinstitutions dumping solid medical and industrial waste, along with sewage,into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Shafaq News documented footage showingwastewater being discharged directly into the Tigris through several pipes incentral Baghdad.
The environmental watchdog Green Iraq Observatory hadpreviously warned that millions of cubic meters of sewage are dumped intoIraq’s rivers every day without adequate treatment, posing a growing threat towater resources and public health, leading to a warning from the StrategicCenter for Human Rights in Iraq that pollution levels in affected rivers exceedsafe limits by 70-80%.
: Death in the current: Pollution decimates Iraq’s river ecosystems