Research Paper On The Environmental Policy In Iraq

Abstract

Iraq situated in West Asia, has been a nation strife with wars and conflicts. These, inevitably, have had a profoundly negative impact on the country’s environment. Along with these, climate change, water disputes, the aftermath of ISIS’s scorched-earth policies, have only added to the government’s list of woes. While the young Ministry of Environment has been working to stabilise the environmental problems by battling the effects of hazardous waste, chemicals and other harmful substances, and join international conventions, there is still a lot of work to be done. This paper deals first with the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88, the Persian Gulf War of 1991, the presence of the ISIS in Iraq, and how all three affected this region’s environment. It then deals with current issues and the initiatives and programs the government has taken up to handle them as well as what international actors are doing in order to help Iraq get back to a semblance of normalcy.

Introduction

The environment - the root of our comforts. Without the environment, mankind would cease to exist. Environmental policies are adopted by countries world-wide as a measure to take care of this life-giver and ensure we that we do not completely destroy it. Iraq, which is no stranger to war and destruction, has also been taking steps to resolve the environmental issues there and make the country more habitable for its citizens.

Environmental effects of wars

As mentioned previously, Iraq has been in a state of constant chaos with wars ravaging the nation for over 20 years. This has without doubt, had enormous consequences and has pretty much thrown the country’s environment into an unrepairable condition. The Persian Gulf War of 1991, had to have had the most impact on not only Iraq but the entire Gulf region. The forces of then Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein set over 700 oil wells of Kuwait on fire while retreating leading to severe damage. The atmosphere was full of smoke and dust and the sky turned dark and ashen because of the soot, poisons and pollutants. The release and subsequent merger of, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide as the oil burned, led to the formation of acid rain which in turn resulted in soil acidification, groundwater pollution, and damage to vegetation. Several reports from countries sent to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) information system, indicate that there is acid rain falling in a belt from Bulgaria to Pakistan as a result of the fires. Iraq and Iran have been the worst hit countries in the region. Another effect of the wars was the human waste, tons of rubbish and toxins from when numerous troops crossed the desert, that were found simply buried in pits in the sand leading to groundwater contamination.

One of the most serious outcomes of the war has to be that of depleted uranium. Thanks to this, Iraq has seen a steep rise in congenital birth defects, cancer cases and various other sicknesses, as of 2013. New illnesses in the kidney, lungs, and liver, as well as total immune system collapse, coupled with a rise in leukaemia, renal, and anaemia cases, especially among children, are all thought to be the unwanted presents of the two US-led wars. There has also been a dramatic jump in 2 miscarriages and premature births among Iraqi women, particularly in areas where heavy US military operations occurred, such as Fallujah.

Presence of the Isis (Islamic State Of Iraq and Syria) in Iraq

The ISIS has been in Iraq ever since the Iraq War of 2003-2011 with the Al-Qaeda as its parent terrorist organisation. It has run a severely violent regime in the country. The group has been the sole cause for the destruction of irrigation systems, wells, farming infrastructure, vehicles, crops and plants, via their scorched earth policy. The scorched earth policy is a strategy of warfare whereby the retreating armed forces destroy or devastate whole towns, facilities, agriculture, transport routes and general infrastructure in order to deprive the advancing enemy forces or the belligerent population of food, shelter, fuel, communications and other valuable resources that may be useful for them.

Richard Pearshouse, Senior Crisis Adviser at Amnesty International, has said, “Today, hundreds of thousands of displaced farmers and their families can’t return home because IS went out of its way to render farming impossible”. The ISIS has rendered close to a million acres of prime arable land unusable. In the Shemal district of Nineveh, which is situated to the north of Iraq, the whole of the 4,50,000 acres of agricultural land has remained fallow since 2014 chiefly because of the presence of the terror group.

Current Environmental Issues

The environmental situation in Iraq is not at its best right now. The nation is reeling under the weight of countless environmental issues, the most problematic of which will be discussed here. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report has said that the quality of Iraq’s drinking water has substantially gone down as a result of rivers and other water bodies being used for the disposal of raw sewage. This made the people prone to water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid and other infectious and parasitic diseases. Roughly 31,000 tons of solid waste are estimated to be generated each day though the capacity for collection is 4,000 tons only. This gap in capacity is huge and leads to the accumulation of solid waste in streets or its dumping into natural depressions and empty lots. This inability to dispose of solid waste in an appropriate manner poses grave public health risks and environmental concerns, especially through the contamination of the water table.

Another persistent issue as of 2007, is that of medical waste. Hospitals in Baghdad, just leave their medical waste right outside the hospital for collection in place of burning it like they used to, due to lack of fuel. The situation has exacerbated with workers collecting the waste in an irregular manner due to insecurity. “Rubbish collectors are being targeted because of their sects. Many workers have refused to collect rubbish in areas where they have been threatened,” said Khudar Nuridin, media officer at the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works in Baghdad, adding that at least 15 workers had been killed in recent months while collecting rubbish in the capital. Poor people going through garbage bags that have been lying around for weeks has led to them becoming infected with bacterial and viral infections, as well. The burning of the Qayyarah and Baiji oil refineries by the ISIS in 2014 has contributed to the pollution issues of the nation. The two oil refineries that the ISIS took control of, were set on fire before the government could re-establish control over them. Wim Zwijnenburg, a lead researcher at the Dutch not-for profit, PAX, has said that they had to wear gas masks to walk around and yet they could feel the smoke affecting their lungs. Lakes were filled with solidified crude oil and the fires from the oil wells burned for months spouting its toxic residue into the air which people who were still living there were breathing.

Iraqi Government Initiatives

The Iraqi government is trying its level best to handle the issues and resolve them to the maximum possible extent. The top priority on its list is cleaning up the oil spills of the ISIS. The ground is still laced with noxious chemicals, and the country’s waterways are still sullied with everything from oil spills to mustard gas residue and the air and water-quality issues are far from sorted out. Iraq already has much of the chemical pollution-fighting framework. The challenge now is to hone strategies and practices. The Ministry of Environment, which is taking the lead on this project, has units capable of assessing contaminated sites, but lacks the equipment and skills to fully document and cleanse them. Iraq launched the first national environmental strategy specialising in environmental issues during 2013-17. It has also been focusing on recycling the solid and radioactive waste. “In previous years, the Iraqi government has launched many initiatives to promote environmental protection, including large-scale efforts to recycle municipal solid waste and treat radioactive waste,” says Haydar al-Ebady, cofounder of the Iraqi company Bilad UTU Energy Solutions.

Assistance From International Bodies

Iraq has been playing a more visible role in the international sphere. It has greatly improved cooperation and relations with the international community in different development sectors on top of which is environment. It has become an active partner in international environmental policies and the associated commitments and chances of international cooperation to support the goals of environment protection and sustainability by UN organisations and is adhering to paying attention to the 5 priorities as classified by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). It also has acceded, or is acceding, to following international agreements and conventions:

1. The Convention on Biological Diversity
2. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
4. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
5. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species
6. Kyoto Protocol
7. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Those are just a few of the many Iraq has teamed up with to tackle its environmental issues. The Iraqi government and UN Environment partnered up to build a cross-ministry team capable of tackling the pollution woes head on.

Conclusion

Iraq, therefore, instead of being discouraged by its innumerable problems, has stayed strong and is working hard to take care of its people and animals by cleaning up its environment and ensuring them a good, healthy life. It is not easy to recover from such a horrendous state of damage, but Iraq is straining to achieve the impossible and this in itself is commendable.

References

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