Baghdad – Iraqi News Agency )INA(
The Iraqi Ministry of Environment announced that it has prepared plans to address polluted sites and protect nearby residents from associated risks. The ministry stressed that legal measures against non-compliant industrial activities could reach the level of closure and fines, while field monitoring of unlicensed sites in Baghdad continues.
Najla Mohsen Al-Waeli, Director General of the Technical Department at the ministry, told INA that “polluted sites differ from pollution sources. Pollution sources are human activities that generate pollutants and are required to comply with environmental standards, while polluted sites are areas of the environment exposed to contamination as a result of one or multiple cumulative activities that affected environmental components of the site.”
She added that the Ministry of Environment annually monitors these sites, updates their data, and conducts detailed assessments to determine risk levels and the number of people exposed, with the aim of developing plans to mitigate or treat pollution and safeguard local communities.
Regarding industrial sites that are unsuitable for the environment, particularly in the Rusafa district, Al-Waeli explained that establishing industrial activities is subject to Project Establishment and Safety Monitoring Regulations No. (3) of 2011. These regulations impose site-specific criteria depending on the environmental impact of each activity, in addition to requiring environmental measures to control pollutants.
She emphasized that such activities are regularly monitored by the ministry’s technical teams, and legal actions are taken against violations. Projects without environmental approvals or those failing to meet location requirements face closure orders, while fines and warnings are imposed on activities that do not meet environmental standards, even if they have obtained official permits.
