Ramadi landfill blazes threaten Iraq’s groundwater quality
Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
Repeated fires at a landfill south of Ramadi in Iraq’s Al-Anbar province have sent thick smoke over parts of the city, with environmental specialists expressing concerns over deteriorating air quality and possible health threats for residents.
The cause of the fires at the sanitary landfill behind Al-Razi Hospital remains unclear, with accusations circulating between waste pickers and individuals attempting to dispose of rubbish through burning, while authorities said they work to contain the impact on nearby communities.
Environmental specialist Samim Salam Abu Furat told Shafaq News that winds blowing toward Ramadi carried a dense cloud of smoke and emissions across large sections of the city, with the impact extending for around 10 kilometers. He also indicated that air quality measurements at the site registered pollution levels of 845 micrograms per cubic meter, significantly exceeding the normal range of zero to 40 micrograms per cubic meter.
Beyond immediate air quality concerns, Abu Furat highlighted that the landfill’s location presents additional environmental hazards, and the site is considered a wetland area due to its lower elevation compared with Lake Habbaniyah and the presence of groundwater beneath it.
“The site creates risks of soil contamination, groundwater pollution from waste leachate, and air pollution resulting from waste burning,” Abu Furat added, drawing attention to other problems linked to the landfill, including mosquito proliferation, stray dogs and the presence of waste pickers who rely on the site for their livelihoods.
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The environmental concerns come as Iraq’s Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of 2009 bans the open burning of solid waste except through environmentally safe methods and imposes restrictions on harmful emissions.
Under the legislation, the Environment Ministry has the authority to issue warnings to parties responsible for pollution, demand corrective actions within a specified timeframe and halt activities that breach environmental regulations until the sources of pollution are addressed.
“Burning waste in the open air poses a direct threat to residents’ health, as smoke can drift into nearby neighborhoods and trigger breathing difficulties,” Abu Furat cautioned, referring to scientific studies showing that emissions from waste fires may contain fine particles and toxic compounds, including dioxins, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls.
Such substances, he explained, have been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, skin disorders and some cancers, including leukemia, particularly among children.
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