An aerial view shows the confluence of the Diyala River (right, dark) and the Tigris River (left, muddy) southeast of Baghdad, highlighting visible pollution and sediment discoloration in the waterways.
Pollution and floodwater blacken Diyala River, prompting emergency water deliveries
BAGHDAD — Sewage leakage and heavy rainfall runoff have severely polluted the Diyala River at its confluence with the Tigris south of Baghdad, prompting an emergency response to supply clean water to affected areas, Baghdad Municipality said Thursday.
The municipality said the black discoloration in the Diyala reflects “sewage leakage from Rustumiya drains into the Diyala River channel,” while the muddy color in the Tigris is caused by sediment carried to the surface by rising floodwaters. Satellite imagery published by the Iraq Observatory showed the stark contrast between the two rivers at their confluence southeast of Baghdad.
Municipality spokesperson Adi al-Jandil told 964media that a full fleet of water tankers has been deployed to areas south of the capital, including Al-Mada’in and Basmaya — outside Baghdad Municipality’s administrative boundaries — to supply residents with potable water. He said a new wastewater treatment project comprising seven units with a capacity of 105,000 cubic meters per day is expected to launch in the coming days, which he said “will solve a large part of the wastewater treatment issue before discharge.”
The pollution has had immediate ecological consequences. 964media documented the death of large quantities of fish in floating fish farms along the Tigris from Suwayrah to the Al-Alkaya area north of Kut. Wasit Agriculture Directorate pledged to compensate those affected after assessing losses, and the parliamentary agriculture and water committee directed the formation of a team to follow up on environmental damage and compensate affected farmers and fish breeders.
The crisis follows a separate oil spill detected in the Tigris in Baiji district, Salah al-Din, on April 1, caused by a pipeline leak between Salah al-Din and Kirkuk carried into the river by floodwaters. The Ministry of Water Resources said crews contained the spill within four hours with no impact recorded toward Baghdad. The Ministry of Environment on Wednesday called for urgent measures to address the Dyala pollution and reduce contamination levels.