Environmental damage will be a legacy of fight for Mosul
Toxic aftermath could affect residents of city and surrounding areas for years to come, according to United Nations report
QAYYARAH, IRAQ // Even when the battle to retake Mosul from ISIL has ended, the danger to residents will be far from over. The environmental damage caused in the battle will pose health risks for years to come.
Iraqis are already paying the price from ISIL burning oilwells and a sulphur factory south of Mosul.
The fires, combined with water pollution and the potentially toxic remains of destroyed buildings, military equipment and munitions, will present longer-term threats to people in areas inside and around Mosul. “We are concerned about how the pollution will affect the health of local populations and negatively affect their capacity to rebuild quality, sustainable livelihoods within affected areas,” said Jenny Sparks of the International Organisation for Migration. A United Nations report on environmental and health risks in the Mosul area said “hundreds of people were treated for exposure to chemicals and millions were exposed to soot and gases from burning oil wells”.
“The events are occurring in an already environmentally degraded region, threatened by substantial environmental legacy risk from previous conflicts, coupled with serious desertification and land degradation primarily caused by unsustainable agricultural practices,” the report said. ISIL set fire to oilwells in the Qayyarah area before it was recaptured in August by Iraqi forces advancing towards Mosul, the last Iraqi city held by the extremist group.
Iraqi civil defence forces have struggled to put out the fires and managed to extinguish only some of them.
Soot from the burning wells turned sheep in the area black.
“We can’t sell our sheep any more,” said Jaber, a 16-year-old shepherd.
“We have had some sheep die, other times people won’t buy them because they look black.”
ISIL set fire to the Mishraq sulphur plant south of Mosul. The blaze was eventually put out, but not before it blanketed nearby areas with a haze of smoke that caused respiratory problems for those who inhaled it.
However, the aftermath of a 2003 fire at the same plant offered some cause for optimism, according to the UN report.
“Even though the vegetation and crops had been badly damaged by the fire, natural recovery was advancing well two years later,” it said. Buildings damaged or destroyed by air raids and shelling also posed risks to civilians returning to rebuild their homes.
“Crushed building materials contain harmful substances, pulverised cement, household wastes and chemicals that can cause exposure hazards to civilians and people dealing with the rubble,” the UN report said.
The destruction of ammunition and weapons depots can “leave a toxic footprint”, while “destroyed military material such as tanks and armoured vehicles often contains various toxic materials”, it said.
Water pollution associated with the conflict is another potential problem, according to Eric Solheim, head of the UN environment programme.
“The dumping of bodies, hazardous materials and oil into water sources have all been reported and are major causes of concern,” he said.
Inadequate disposal of waste posed risks.
“Collapse of environmental governance can further lead to accumulation of solid household, medical and industrial waste, and if not dealt with properly, can result in increased burning of solid waste and resulting environmental health risks, or the outbreak of communicable diseases,” he said.
The dumping of bodies, hazardous materials and oil are major causes of concern United Nations environmental report