Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
Environmental authorities in Iraq's Al-Anbar Province launchedfield inspections to identify sources of pollution in the Euphrates River, thehead of the province's Environment Directorate told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
Qais Najeh said inspection teams surveyed factories near theEuphrates, vehicle wash and lubrication stations, and sewage outfalls releasinguntreated wastewater into the river to curb pollution and protect waterresources. The directorate has taken legal action against violators, includingimposing fines on the Al-Anbar Sewerage Directorate and filing a lawsuit overits continued discharge of untreated wastewater.
The directorate also referred the issue to the Al-Anbar ProvincialCouncil, which ordered the formation of a specialized committee to investigatethe causes of pollution in the Euphrates and oversee measures to address theproblem.
According to Najeh, the council is implementing wastewatertreatment projects, including treatment plants in Ramadi, Fallujah, and Hit, aswell as another under construction in Habbaniyah. The first phase of theprojects has been completed, while authorities are awaiting funding to beginthe second phase, which includes connecting all district sewage networks totreatment plants.
Earlier this month, an environmental survey identified 54pollution hotspots and environmental violations along the river between theIraq-Syria border and Haditha Lake, including untreated sewage discharges,unlicensed fish farms and sand quarries, dumping of animal waste, constructiondebris, and illegal encroachments on the riverbanks.
: Al-Anbar: An unfinished chapter in Iraq’s water story