Karbala sewage directorate orders grease traps to protect networks

KARBALA — The Karbala Sewage Directorate has ordered restaurants, commercial sites, and industrial facilities to install grease traps on sewage networks to keep fats and oils from reaching treatment plants, warning that violators could face heavy penalties under Iraqi law.

Raed Radi Aboud, head of the directorate’s Violations Unit, told 964media the measure is binding under Public Water and Sewage Authority Law No. 27 of 1999, which allows fines and asset seizures. “We direct an invitation from the Karbala Sewage Directorate to all commercial and industrial activities, from restaurants to factories, not to trespass on sewage networks and to install grease traps so that Karbala remains clean and safe from environmental pollutants,” he said.

Radi said grease and waste from health centers, laboratories, restaurants, hotels, and car washes cause calcification, blockages, and flooding. He noted the problem intensifies during mass pilgrimages when waste from slaughtering animals is dumped into sewage lines. “We suffer from the consequences of blockages, especially during the million-visitor pilgrimages,” he said.

The directorate has distributed posters and contacted hotel, restaurant, mall, and resort owners to raise awareness. Radi said untreated wastewater reaching treatment stations could create “environmental challenges the city cannot overcome.”

Legal adviser Zaman Sahib Hussein said noncompliance will damage both infrastructure and businesses. “Failure of restaurants and businesses to comply with the sewage directorate’s instructions … will lead to fat accumulation, blockages, and sewage overflow, which will negatively affect the restaurant owner and the continuity of service,” he said.

Officials said cases of noncompliance will be referred to the courts for strict legal action.