ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 100 illegal refineries in Erbil province were ordered to shut down on Sunday by the governor; additionally, a deadline was set for legal refineries to abide by environmental regulations - an attempt to improve the capital city's dismal air quality.
“Illegal refineries, which are 138 in Erbil province, will be shut down today, whoever does that job, will face legal actions, arrested, and face severe legal treatment,” Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said at a press conference on Sunday.
Khoshnaw called on the Kurdistan Region’s natural resources ministry to stop providing crude oil to the illegal refineries.
“Any existing contract between the [natural resources] ministry and those refineries won’t be applicable in the Erbil province, as of today,” he said.
The governor also stated that legal refineries are being given a 10-day period to abide by the regulations and fix their shortcomings or face hefty fines. He also said that all factories operating inside the city must immediately take action to improve the city's environment.
Other decisions include tightening regulations on vehicles and privately owned generators which provide the city with electricity. Khoshnaw said a committee will be established to follow up on the regulations.
“We decided to form a high committee within Erbil province … for the full implementation of the decisions,” he said.
Erbil has one of the highest levels of air pollution in Iraq, Deputy Environment Minister Jassim al-Falahi told Rudaw in April. There are several causes, most notably, plumes of smoke from electricity generators and the numerous cars using low-quality fuel that is high in the same chemical that smothered London in 1952.
The decisions by the governorate come at a time citizens have complained that at night a miasma of unpleasant odor coming out from the refineries covers the city causing unrest.
In April 2019, Erbil Mayor Nabaz Abdulhamid told Rudaw that they had shut down 40 of the 104 refineries listed by the interior and natural resource ministries for not having licenses and failing to follow regulations.
The presence of these refineries has also affected the local businesses.
Ghafour Bakir, a resident of Tarjan village, 37 kilometers from Erbil, told Rudaw he had to close his eatery due to smoke from numerous nearby refineries choking the air, making eating unappealing for his customers.
“The only thing we get from those refineries is their smoke,” said Salam Anwar, a farmer in the village. “The smoke falls on our crops and stunts their growth.”
Villagers reported that illnesses have become pervasive among them since the refineries opened around 2010.
