Basra's Environmental Crisis: 'We are Sitting Here Waiting for Where to Go'
The toxic legacy of industrial and oil activities has turned the air, water, and soil into a breeding ground for disease and despair.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In Basra, Iraq's wealthiest province, the specter of environmental pollution looms large, casting a daily shadow over the lives of its residents.
The toxic legacy of industrial and oil activities has turned the air, water, and soil into a breeding ground for disease and despair.
Umm Ali, a resident of a village near the oil facilities, shared a heart-wrenching account of the toll pollution has taken on her family.
"My sister's son and close relatives have died as a result of the pollution," she lamented.
"Our children suffered from all kinds of diseases. We are sitting here waiting for where to go," she said.
The city's skyline is dominated by refineries and oil facilities that spew out vast quantities of pollutants, exacerbating the climate crisis and leaving residents vulnerable to a range of health problems.
Umm Ali, like countless others living near oil wells and facilities, is bearing witness to the devastating consequences.
"There was a two-month-old child in our family who drowned in her arms due to air pollution," she shared, a stark reminder of the human cost of environmental degradation.
Basra, home to 2.4 million people, has become synonymous with toxic gas emissions and pollutants stemming from oil extraction.
Accuweather's assessment of the air quality as "poor" underscores the severity of the problem. The organization warned that "air pollution levels have increased and become unhealthy for those with allergies, so people with itchy throats or shortness of breath should go out less."
The impact on public health is alarming.
The Director-General of Environment of the South Walid al-Moussawi confirmed that "there are a large number of citizens suffering from various cancers."
He pointed to "scientific research on the relationship between cancers and pollutants in the air, water, soil and crops."
The pollutants, including chemicals from industrial and petroleum activity, have infiltrated every aspect of the environment, leaving residents with few options for escape.
The people of Basra, trapped in a toxic landscape, are left to grapple with the consequences of an environmental crisis that threatens their very existence.