Toxic fallout: Iraq's Basra fight for survival amid oil pollution crisis

Shafaq News

17-05-2025

Shafaq News/ Residents in northern Basra are grappling with a 'deadly pollution crisis,' fueled by the unchecked expansion of oil operations near residential areas.
With rising cancer rates, contaminated water sources, and degraded soil, local communities say they are living in 'an increasingly uninhabitable environment.'
Sheikh Haitham al-Mansouri, a spokesperson for al-Sadiq district protest movement, told Shafaq News, 'This is not just pollution—it is a form of slow, deliberate killing,' criticizing both government agencies and oil companies for their failure to implement environmental safeguards.
Al-Mansouri warned that affected communities may soon resort to international legal action. 'We are preparing to build a case, supported by expert evidence, to hold both state institutions and oil firms accountable for the damage caused to public health and the environment,' he said.
He called for a coordinated effort involving environmental scientists, health professionals, and investigative journalists to document the scope of the crisis and gather legal evidence. 'Key materials include PM2.5 particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and benzopyrene (BaP)—all of which are linked to heart disease, strokes, cancer, and respiratory illnesses.'
Iraq ranks second globally, after Russia, in gas flaring, burning an estimated 18 billion cubic meters annually—enough to power about 20 million European homes each year. According to the BBC, PM2.5 levels in some Iraqi villages near flare sites have reached 100 micrograms per cubic meter per hour, far exceeding safe limits.
Al-Mansouri cited Article 33 of the Iraqi Constitution, which guarantees every individual the right to a healthy environment and obligates the state to protect it. He also referred to Law No. 27 of 2009 on environmental protection, which prohibits any public or private activity that pollutes air, water, or soil.