Erbil launches major tree-planting campaign
Shafaq News- Erbil
Teams from the Parks Engineering Directorate in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, began planting hundreds of sissoo and elm trees on Wednesday along 60-Meter Road and at the foot of the historic Erbil Citadel, as part of a municipal plan to plant thousands of trees in different parts of the city by the end of October.
The directorate said the program aims to increase green space, expand vegetation, and improve the city’s appearance, with further planting planned in coordination with residents, organizations, and environmental activists.
In April, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said the city’s air quality had improved following Green Belt projects and expanded tree planting among provincial environmental initiatives. He also attributed the improvement specifically to the shutdown of some private generators, action against polluting vehicles, and the closure of unlicensed refineries. At the time, IQAir recorded Erbil’s PM2.5 concentration at 6.6 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline value.
Erbil is also pursuing an eight-phase Green Belt project around the city designed to curb desertification, improve air quality, and reduce the effects of rising temperatures and dust storms. The project is expected to include around seven million trees.
Read more: Iraq’s Green Belt: The race to forestall desertification
The Erbil Provincial Council said in April that more than 500,000 olive trees had been planted in the Green Belt’s first phase, with olive and pistachio trees planned for the second phase.
Erbil’s updated 2025-2050 master plan, unveiled in September, also takes into account the environment, water, sanitation, education, and roads, alongside preserving Erbil’s history while planning for future growth.
