“The establishment of a court for environmental issues is very necessary,” Abdulrazaq Khailani, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Environment Protection and Improvement Board, told Rudaw on Thursday.
In the past four years, the environment board has taken legal action against over 6,000 projects, according to Khailani. He explained that the board previously imposed financial penalties on these projects and has now resorted to the courts for repeated regulatory violations. The board has also denied permits for 83 projects.
He said that this volume of cases is overwhelming, which is why the board has requested the government establish a dedicated court for environmental issues.
The environmental violations are happening in various sectors, including industrial, medical, and agricultural. Littering, pollution, and emissions from vehicles, generators, and the oil and gas industry are also frequent environmental concerns.
The board regularly complains that they lack the authority to enforce their regulations. “We are not an executive body… we oversee their [other ministries] work,” Khailani told Rudaw in June, explaining that they can provide instructions, but other bodies, ultimately, have to carry them out.
Damage to the environment, especially that caused by the oil and gas industry, is again in the spotlight as the government has renewed efforts to shut down illegal refineries, three months ahead of an election.
On Sunday, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw announced that 138 oil refineries would be shut down and “face severe legal treatment” in an effort to crack down on air pollution. Around 25 illegal refineries were reportedly shut down in Erbil province the following day.
Six years ago, again weeks ahead of an election, the Kurdistan Regional Government promised to resolve the issue of illegal refineries that cause significant environmental damage. A 2017 report from the Ministry of Natural Resources said there were 129 unauthorized refineries in Kurdistan.
Dilshad Hirani, director of the environment board’s Erbil office, told Rudaw this week that the process of shutting down illegally-established refineries is continuing.
Hemin Baban Rahim contributed to this report.
