Arabic

Repeated appeals and complaints from citizens in the areas of Ramadi Island – Al Hamidiyah and Al-Buaitha, and the areas East of Ramadi- Al-Sufia and Juweiba, about the emissions and rising gasses from unlicensed plants of oxidized and non-oxidized asphalt in the north areas of Ramadi, which led to the poisoning and suffocation of citizens, led to forming a committee on July 3, 2021 included the Environment Directorate of Anbar, the Department of Removing Infringements in the Ramadi District, and the Environmental Police, involving Humat Dijlah Association, represented by the Humat Al-Forat team in Ramadi, in addition to the presence of dignitaries and mayors of the mentioned areas.

After that, the committee represented by a delegation visited the four towering factories within a range of less than 2 km2, which are 10 km away from the municipality of Ramadi, as a result, the Committee of Removing Infringements in the Ramadi District Council took a primary measurement by closing all of oil refineries, including those that are licensed, until they meet the environmental conditions and install filters in the chimney exhaust.

The Environment Directorate in Anbar also warned a licensed factory for violating environmental conditions and not having filters for the rising fumes. The factory owner was given 10 days, if he did not comply with the environmental conditions, legal measures will be taken against him according to the Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of 2009.

Afterwards, a number of Anbar’s authorities, represented by; Dr. Shaker Ahmed, The Director of the Environmental Protection and Improvement Department in the Central Region, Eng. Qais Najeh, The Director of Anbar Environment Directorate, and Lieutenant-General Nasser Al-Ghannam, Commander of Anbar Operations, met discussing the environmental pollution resulting from these unlicensed factories, which residents complain of their gas emissions. 

The meeting included talking about the legal measures that will be taken and the military support along implementing these measures against the industrial activities after ensuring that they do not meet the environmental requirements, the Governor of Anbar also issued a statement to observe the activity of the oil refineries at the north of the city and to stop the violating the environmental conditions, then a ministerial committee was formed as a result, to visit these factories and making a decision regarding permitting the re-run of these activities or stop them completely, under Iraqi environmental laws and legislations.

The Anbar Environment Directorate continued monitoring industrial activities up until the time they would fulfill the environmental requirements. Otherwise, legal measures will be taken against these activities in accordance with the Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of 2009.