ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Thirteen private generator owners in Erbil are being investigated as part of government efforts to combat high levels of air pollution, a member of the private generator council told Rudaw on Saturday. "After the prime minister's decision to clean up Erbil's environment, our inspections have increased, and due to violations, 13 generator owners have been investigated," said the head of the Supreme Council of Private Generators in Erbil Governorate, Khoran Khorani. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masour Barzani led a meeting with relevant authorities on Sunday to discuss pollution issues in Erbil and Duhok provinces. It was decided that legal action would be taken against those who pollute the environment, including generators, factories, and oil refineries. The government has been trying to tackle this problem for years, periodically announcing crackdowns on major polluters. Over the past year, 65 generator owners were penalized for polluting Erbil's environment and failing to meet standards, according to Khorani. Thousands of public and private generators operate in the Kurdistan Region, in addition to over two million vehicles. Researchers suggest that the low quality of fuel is one of the main contributors to the decline in air quality and increasing threats to public health. Erbil’s air quality is frequently described as “unhealthy” by the IQAir monitoring service.
