Oil spill contaminates Iraq’s Kirkuk agricultural water
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Oil slicks spreading across the main irrigation canal in Kirkuk’s Al-Sada Al-Mashayekh village have raised fears of a widening environmental threat, with residents reporting visible damage to crops and growing risks to livestock.
Resident Ahmed Mahmoud told Shafaq News that the pollution caused strong petroleum odors around the canal, expressing concerns that contamination could spread to soil and groundwater. “The village depends almost entirely on this canal for daily agricultural activities,” he said.
According to Farmer Hassan Khalil, several livestock owners noticed animals refusing to drink from the canal because of changes in the water’s color and smell. “Continued contamination could cause significant economic losses for residents, particularly with the agricultural production season approaching.”
He added that the village had experienced similar incidents in previous years, but past responses were temporary and failed to fully resolve the problem.
Read more: Iraq’s environmental disaster: Oil springs flow into river
Residents also urged the Environment Directorate, North Oil Company, and municipal authorities to contain the pollution, clean the canal, and conduct soil and water tests, noting that failure to address the leak could cause long-term environmental and health damage.
Iraq ranked as the world’s second most polluted country by the end of 2025, while more than five million cubic meters of untreated wastewater flowed daily into its rivers. Air pollution, unsafe water, and unmanaged waste have increasingly affected public health, agriculture, and infrastructure, with Iraq producing an estimated 23 million tons of municipal waste annually and polluted water damaging up to 90% of the country’s waterways.
Read more: The cost of filth: Iraq among the world’s most polluted nations
