Middle East. Iraq’s continuing struggle with conflict pollution

OIL SLICK. While Iraq is still recovering from the environmental impact of both Gulf wars, it now faces new environmental problems caused by the current conflict against the Islamic State.
Since the uprising began in June 2014, fierce battles have taken place in and around cities and industrial areas, affecting the already precarious environmental situation. Wim Zwijnenburg considers the risks and response.
Heavy fighting in and around the Baiji oil refinery, and attacks on other industrial installation have led to the release of a range of hazardous substances into the environment, affecting soil and groundwater. Other battles have taken place near Kirkuk’s oil fields and it is likely IS will continue to focus their attacks on oil and gas installations, thereby increasing the likelihood of chemical incidents and subsequent environmental contamination and civilian exposure to hazardous substances.
Having learned lessons from the legacy of previous conflicts, Iraq’s Ministry of the Environment (MoE) is already developing an assessment strategy to monitor the impact of the conflict, in order to speed up remediation work to limit air, soil and water pollution. According to the Minister of Environment Qutaiba al-Jubury:
“…the ministry will work to fight pollution by adopting techniques for monitoring, control, sensing and the application of effective preventive processes and procedures, … [aiming to] combat pollutants that threaten the environment and public health in addition to those related to landmines and explosives planted by terrorists in residential neighbourhoods, homes and roads to impede the progress of security forces.”
Al-Jubury has accused IS of polluting water sources with oil waste and toxic chemicals, and destroying agricultural land, leading to desertification, economic losses and threatening food security. It appears that IS has adopted a strategy of using environmental damage as a weapon of war through the “deliberate contamination of rivers, lakes and streams with toxic waste and oil contaminants”.
An oil slick in the Tigris River caused by an act of sabotage to one of Iraq’s oil pipelines. [Iraqi Ministry of Environment]To address this problem, local news agencies have reported that the MoE will begin an environmental assessment of affected areas. According to Luay al-Mukhtar, director of the ministry’s department for the regulation of chemicals and polluted sites, this in order to:“…prevent the spread of disease and to safely dispose of waste. As part of this project, ministry teams will perform laboratory checks and analysis of water, soil and air in every area that has been cleared and secured of [IS] control.”Iraq’s proposed programme outlines the importance of recording and assessing environmental damage during conflict. Its focus is on assessing pollution risks, in order to: “…provide quick treatment and the right measures to contain the effect of conflicts or disasters on the environment in general,” said Mr. Al-Mukthar and to “curb the threat to human health posed by epidemics, diseases and deadly pollutants. Such activity and technical operations require continuous efforts on the ground for a sufficient period of time in order to draw conclusions and compile valid reports”.Effective assessment and monitoring requires technical capacity, expertise and funding, as well as the security necessary for work to be undertaken. These factors are not always present in conflict settings, which can delay the identification, assessment and clean-up of a range of hazardous substances.In cooperation with Iraq’s Ministry of Science and Technology, the MoE has previously established programmes to undertake environmental assessments on former military facilities from the Saddam era. Planned in cooperation with international organisations, they are intended to: “…check, monitor and destroy any residue or waste found at those sites” and, according to a MoE spokesperson, they are ready to further “analyse the environmental impact of violence”. The aim of the programme is to: “…protect residents from any pollutants that could put their health and the health of their children at risk.”