Environmental protection and improvement board
Approval of 300 environmental projects by Kurdish authorities
ERBIL, January 17 – The Environmental Protection and Improvement Board announced its approval of approximately 3,000 projects across various sectors in 2023. The board, however, also rejected about 30 projects during the same period.
The sectors covered by these projects include industry, food, services, residential, commercial, agricultural, health, hunting licenses, deep wells, and towers. This diverse range of sectors underlines the broad spectrum of environmental considerations in the region.
In a detailed breakdown, the Sulaymaniyah governorate emerged as the frontrunner with the licensing of 1,006 projects. However, it also recorded the highest number of rejections, totaling 16 projects. On the other end of the spectrum, Halabja saw the lowest number of approved projects, with only 21.
Further insights into the approvals across different areas showed that Erbil received 927 project approvals, Duhok had 441 projects approved with five rejections, Garmiyan gained approval for 217 projects, and the Raperin administration saw 239 approvals with seven rejections.
The year 2023’s figures show a slight increase in both approvals and rejections compared to the previous year. In 2022, the Environmental Protection and Improvement Board approved 2,851 projects while rejecting 29.
