Iraqi environmental expert warns of worsening Tigris pollution

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An Iraqi environmental specialist, Murtaza al-Gunaidi, has warned that continued pollution in the Tigris River and the absence of urgent government action are placing water security and public health at direct risk. Al-Gunaidi said untreated wastewater, industrial effluents, solid waste dumping and encroachments on the riverbed have sharply reduced water quality and damaged fisheries and biodiversity. The expert said measures taken so far have largely been limited to temporary fixes. He called for a comprehensive national program, the construction and operation of modern treatment plants, deterrent penalties against polluters and continuous environmental monitoring. Al-Gunaidi warned that the ongoing pollution would carry heavy economic costs for agriculture, drinking water projects, food security and natural resources, framing the issue as a national rather than purely environmental concern. He also said that pollution in the Tigris and Euphrates has driven a 6,000 percent increase in kidney failure cases, a figure reported by the Green Iraq Observatory, which added that the file is scheduled for review in Iraq's parliament on Wednesday.