Anbar opens legal case against polluters of the Euphrates River

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Anbar's Environment Directorate has launched legal proceedings against sources polluting the Euphrates River, the provincial environment director, Kais Najih, announced. Field teams conducted inspections of factories along the riverbank, washing and lubrication workshops, and sewer lines discharging untreated wastewater into the Euphrates. The directorate imposed a fine on the Anbar Sewerage Directorate for operating outside regulatory requirements and filed a lawsuit against the body for continuing to release untreated liquid waste into the river. The case file has also been forwarded to Anbar's local government, which decided to form a special commission to investigate the causes of the Euphrates's pollution and take necessary measures. Anbar's local government is working to establish sewage treatment plants in the districts of Ramadi, Fallujah and Hit, and to connect all districts to treatment networks alongside a facility under construction in Habbaniyah. The first phase of the projects has been completed, while the second phase is set to proceed once the required funds are released, with treated wastewater to be reused for agricultural purposes.