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.
Iraq pursuing legal action over river pollution as Diyala contamination subsides
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry is taking legal action against those responsible for discharging pollutants into rivers, Minister Aoun Diab said Friday, as contamination in the Diyala River from sewage leakage and floodwater runoff gradually subsides.
Diab said addressing pollution requires stopping discharge at the source, not just dredging rivers. “Dredging does not fundamentally solve the problem if sources of pollution are not stopped,” he said, adding that sewage being discharged directly into waterways has been recorded in several governorates including Baghdad and Maysan. Joint field inspections are being conducted with the Environment Ministry, which has the authority to file lawsuits against violators.
He said the recent incident stirred up accumulated sediment that moved downstream toward Suwayrah and Aziziyah, but that turbulent water flow has helped improve quality by increasing dissolved oxygen levels. “The ministry is monitoring dissolved oxygen levels, which are gradually improving southward,” Diab said, stressing that the contamination has not affected public health or agriculture and that such incidents “must not be repeated.”
The pollution caused immediate ecological damage. 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, and the parliamentary agriculture and water committee directed a team to follow up on environmental damage and compensate affected farmers and fish breeders.