Shafaq News-Baghdad
Twenty-threeactive pollution hotspots have been identified along the Tigris River withinBaghdad, Iraq's Green Observatory revealed Monday, warning that untreatedsewage, industrial waste, and medical runoff are flowing directly into thewaterway.
The hotspotsconsist of pipes and discharge outlets releasing untreated heavy sewage,industrial effluents, and medical waste directly into the river.
The mosthazardous sources, according to the Observatory, are tributary river outlets —chiefamong them the Diyala River, which it described as the single largestcontributor to Tigris contamination. The Diyala carries massive volumes ofuntreated sewage from Rusafa district drainage stations, as well as dischargefrom major hospitals and medical centers, industrial facilities, powerstations, water treatment plants, and unregulated drainage outlets in the northernprovinces.
The Observatorywarned that the combined pressure of these pollutants, compounded by decliningwater levels and reduced flow, is concentrating toxic materials in the river, causingsevere damage to fish stocks and posing a direct threat to public health.
SoutheastBaghdad recorded a severe environmental pollution crisis in April 2026, whenfloods swept toxic sludge and stagnant wastewater deposits from the DiyalaRiver into surrounding areas, with oil slicks and untreated sewage also reportedat the time.
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