Baqoubah collects 600 tons of waste daily amid staff, fleet and fuel shortages

BAQOUBAH, Iraq — The director of Baqoubah's municipal environment department, Bassam al-Hadithi, said the city collects roughly 600 tons of waste each day but is operating with severe shortages of equipment, fuel and personnel. He told local media that only 60 of the 120 garbage trucks the city needs are in working condition, a 50 percent gap, while monthly diesel supplies stand at 40,000 liters against a requirement of 120,000 liters, a 66 percent shortfall. Hadithi said Baqoubah, the capital of Diyala province, has a population of about 600,000. Using a standard of 500 sanitation workers per 100,000 residents, the city should employ 3,000 cleaners, but the current workforce does not exceed 300, leaving a staffing gap of up to 90 percent. He added that the city also faces shortages in waste containers and bags, warning that conditions would continue to deteriorate if the shortfalls persist. According to 2024 data from Iraq's Department of Environmental Statistics, 69 percent of the population outside the Kurdistan Region has access to waste collection services. Urban coverage is highest in Kirkuk and Dhi Qar at 100 percent and lowest in Saladin at 66.1 percent. The same department said the majority of temporary waste collection sites lack environmental approval, and that only three of 86 temporary transfer stations have received legal authorization.