Nineveh Environment Directorate revealed the presence of air pollution and smoke clouds in the Hamidat district, northwest of Mosul .
Director of Nineveh Environment, Sinan Subhi, said, “The Hamidat district, west of Mosul, recorded air pollution and smoke clouds as a result of burning waste landfill sites .”
He added, “A technical team from the Nineveh Environment Directorate, with support from the Environmental Police Center, conducted a field visit to the Hamidat area for the purpose of conducting an on-site inspection, after complaints were received from the area regarding smoke clouds .”
He continued: “The site inspections showed the presence of large quantities of municipal waste in an irregular location, and the residents of the area confirmed that the waste is being piled up in the location, and the waste is being burned at night, which negatively affects the health of the citizen .
Ali pointed out that “our department will take legal measures in accordance with the Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. (27) of 2009 to prevent the recurrence of such practices that affect public health .”
On October 15, the Minister of Interior, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, directed the closure of unlicensed brick factories and the prohibition of burning waste .
Al-Shammari stressed the importance of implementing the recommendations issued by the Council of Ministers, which stressed the activation of the role and tasks of the Environmental Police in treating environmental waste, reducing polluting events and activities, and taking legal measures against violators, in addition to stopping waste burning activities in landfills and outside them, extinguishing current fires in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, and conducting periodic security campaigns to monitor all forms of pollution .
The meeting also witnessed an emphasis on enhancing the intelligence effort in the Environmental Investigations Division to follow up on all environmental waste recorded by the environmental directorates, in order to stop all causes of air pollution in residential areas and outside them. The attendees also discussed a number of topics on the agenda of this meeting .
While Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced, on Tuesday, October 15, comprehensive measures to combat pollution and improve the environment in the capital, Baghdad, which has been witnessing a widespread sulfur smell for days .
The yellow color has become a distinctive feature of Baghdad’s atmosphere, especially in the early morning hours when the sunrise plays its role in reflecting its rays on the foggy clouds that have become part of the capital’s atmosphere after the clear spread of pollution known to citizens as “sulfur fog .” In recent days, this pollution has become a source of concern for people and the first topic of conversation on the street, followed by government statements and the formation of ministerial committees to determine its causes, as well as calls to stay at home and close the doors, calls that were met with disapproval and ridicule by citizens.
