More than 100 illegal refineries in Erbil were ordered to shut down on the previous day by Governor Omed Khoshnaw; additionally, he set a deadline for legal refineries to abide by environmental regulations.
Dilshad Hirani, director of Erbil’s environmental office, told Rudaw that more than 15 refineries were shut down on the “Erbil-Qushtapa road alone,” adding that the process of shutting down illegally-established refineries is continuing.
Masoud Nuri, mayor of Erbil’s Gwer subdistrict, also told Rudaw that the decision to shut down the refineries was immediately implemented with 10 being closed.
Officials and industrialists have faced increasing calls to clean up the Kurdistan Region because of a miasma of unpleasant odors from refineries and other polluters.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Natural Resources expressed support for shutting down illegal refineries in a statement on Monday, stating that it has only licensed three refineries across the Kurdistan Region.
“Besides the three refineries of Kar, Lanaz, and Qaiwan that follow the ministry’s regulations and conditions, we have not given permits to any other refineries,” the ministry stated.
An industry source, on the condition of anonymity, told Rudaw English in July that the three named refineries are following proper refinement processes and follow regulations, while other unlicensed and unregulated refineries merely mix gasoline, naphtha, and additives to achieve desired octane ratings, rendering them “refineries” only by name.
The source explained that properly processing gasoline significantly would reduce toxic chemicals like sulfur that harm people and the environment through desulphurization and degassing processes. Nevertheless, some harmful contaminants would still be released into the atmosphere due to practices like flaring.
The ministry’s announcement emphasized that one of the most important conditions for refineries to obtain permits is going to be to abide by environmental standards.
The governor’s order also included directives to regulate private electricity generators and vehicles which emit too much smoke.
Both legal and illegal operations exist throughout the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, steadily growing in number since the United States toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. They have had a devastating impact on the environment and public health.
Soran Hussein contributed to this report
