Local
Competent authorities in Iraq announced the closure of 761 projects during 2026, as part of a nationwide campaign addressing environmental violations that adversely affect public health and the environment. These actions are part of governmental endeavors to bolster adherence to environmental standards and curb pollution. Eng. Sinan Jaafar Muhammad, Director General of the Department of Environmental Protection and Improvement for the Central Region, part of the Ministry of Environment, stated in an official press release that legal procedures extend beyond mere closure of non-compliant activities. They encompass issuing warnings, temporary operational suspensions, imposing financial fines, and, when necessary, referring cases to the judiciary. Muhammad clarified that activities lacking proper environmental approval are prohibited from continuing. Violating entities receive a legal period to rectify infractions; failure to comply leads to their suspension or temporary closure until corrections are made. The law further allows for monthly recurring fines until the violation is resolved, alongside potential judicial referral. Meanwhile, the Environmental Police Directorate, under the Ministry of Interior, corroborated the figure, reporting 761 projects closed that year. In a statement, Colonel Physicist Mustafa Abdul Hassan Jaber, Director of Public Relations and Media for the Directorate, explained that key environmental impact factors, arising from operational nature and effects on air, water, and soil, include extractive processes and oil industries. He also highlighted increasing demand for electricity generation and its resultant higher fuel consumption, alongside brick and asphalt industries producing harmful emissions and waste. Jaber additionally pointed out that mismanagement of sanitary landfill sites presents a significant ongoing environmental challenge.
