Sulaymaniyah forum warns of pollution and illegal hunting threats

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — A panel titled "Social Environmental Awareness and Protection from Unwanted Accidents" was held in Sulaymaniyah by the Kurdistan Environment and Construction Center together with the Guidance and Moral Direction Directorate, drawing cultural figures, activists, civil servants and representatives of institutions under the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Interior. Colonel Fayiq Qadir of the Sulaymaniyah Forest and Environment Police Directorate said the environment functions as a human "outer lung" and that its protection depends on public awareness, not only on penalties. He warned that pollutants discharged into rivers and illegal hunting during closed seasons have caused serious damage to fish populations, and that authorities have detained several suspects in operations targeting violators. Qadir added that factories in the Tangero and Bazian areas are among the main sources of air pollution, and that some facilities have been referred to court in an effort to compel the installation of emission filters. Researcher Samane Omar, a soil microbiology master's student, said the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers is damaging soil ecosystems and called for a shift to organic fertilizers along with regular soil testing. Civil Defense representative Lieutenant Ari Ibrahim Hassan described air and water as the environment's core elements, noting that fire smoke, industrial emissions and waste are contaminating both. The panel ended with a call for the public to report environmental violations to Civil Defense's emergency line 115.