Baghdad: Baghdad Governor Atwan Al-Atwani confirmed on Wednesday that the capital is facing an escalating environmental challenge, citing Al-Rasheed landfill, the sanitary landfill in Al-Nahrawan, brick factories, and the burning of waste in residential neighborhoods as the most prominent sources of pollution.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Atwani chaired an emergency expanded meeting dedicated to addressing the air pollution crisis in Baghdad, with the participation of the head of the Environment Committee in the Provincial Council, representatives from the Ministry of Environment, and several relevant department directors.

The governor stressed the importance of accurately identifying the core causes of environmental pollution and the need to adopt urgent and practical measures to mitigate the worsening crisis. He emphasized that the severity of the situation requires a unified response from all concerned authorities due to the major environmental challenges the capital is experiencing.

Al-Atwani held the negligent parties fully responsible for the deterioration of environmental conditions, affirming that the local government will not hesitate to take the necessary actions.

He also called on security forces to take strict measures against those causing pollution, urging all institutions to assume their responsibilities in safeguarding public health. He noted that the governorate will submit a detailed report to the Prime Minister to ensure accountability for negligence and to activate environmental monitoring more effectively.