“On the first day of the training, 250 youth from all of Iraq’s provinces are participating,” Ranjdar Hussein, student affairs director at University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH), told Rudaw on Thursday.
UKH is putting on the three-day training event in collaboration with the supreme youth council under the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani.
“They have come here and share their experiences about the unique challenges in their provinces so they can find solutions,” said Taisir Hazim, a university graduate from Karbala.
Water management is one of Iraq’s greatest challenges and Dana Mawlood, vice president of UKH, highlighted the importance of the Kurdistan Region’s water resources.
“Young people and all those who work in the environment and water [management] field should understand that the Kurdistan Region is a great source of water that has not been efficiently utilized,” he said, adding that better use of these resources could benefit southern Iraq and the broader Middle East.
Ali Tahir, a graduate from Basra, described the effects of water scarcity on his province where there is increasing desertification and loss of farmland.
Environmental damage caused by the war, most recently with the Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul, was highlighted by Ahmad Bala, an environmentalist from Nineveh province.
Industrial and municipal pollution is another major concern across the country.
“Our data suggests that cancer and malaria have increased in Iraq in recent years due to pollution… We cannot treat illnesses without solving their cause,” said Zinwar Zardasht, a student from the University of Sulaimani.
Iraq is among the nations most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation and mismanagement. Scorching temperatures exceeding 50 degrees are recorded annually while land is lost to desertification.
Horvan Rafaat contributed to this report.
