Judiciary orders legal action against polluters in Iraq

Shafaq News- Najaf

Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council instructed courts to pursue legal action against any entity responsible for environmental pollution, including government institutions, to strengthen enforcement of environmental protection laws.

Jamal Abdul Zaid Shalaka, director of Najaf's Environment Directorate, told Shafaq News on Thursday that the directive, which followed a June 23 request from the Ministry of Environment for stricter enforcement, requires competent courts to apply Article 32 of the Protection and Improvement of Environment Law No. 27 of 2009 equally to public and private entities by prosecuting those responsible for environmental violations. It also obliges violators to eliminate sources of pollution, restore damaged areas, and compensate those affected in accordance with Iraqi law.

Earlier this month, a specialized environmental team identified 54 pollution hotspots and environmental violations affecting water quality along the Euphrates River from the Iraq-Syria border to Haditha Lake. Environmental expert Samim Salam Abu Furat told Shafaq News that the four-day survey documented untreated sewage discharges, illegal sand quarries, poultry waste and animal carcasses dumped into the river, unlicensed fish ponds, construction debris obstructing water flow, and encroachments along the riverbanks.

Read more: The cost of filth: Iraq among the world’s most polluted nations