“These refineries have caused great damage to the environment and health. Examples from Erbil and Sulaimani were discussed where refineries have caused great damage to water resources and agriculture, and they are a main cause for the spread of some diseases,” read a government statement after a meeting of the KRG’s Oil and Gas Council on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the interior minister, and provincial governors.
They promised to “resolve the problem soon,” assigning the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Interior Ministry with the task.
Barzani and Talabani both urged a quick solution to the problem.
“The protection of the environment and peoples’ lives is the KRG’s priority because the lives of people and the protection of the environment are more important than economic matters,” they said in the meeting, according to the statement.
Oil sales provide the bulk of the KRG’s revenues and several multinational oil firms operate in the Kurdistan Region.
But illegal operations and refineries have plagued the environment. Waste is frequently dumped untreated into waterways.
In April 2017, the KRG shut down 61 illegal refineries and pledged to address the problem of an additional 129 outfits.
Efforts have been hampered by the fact that many of the refineries are backed by “influential people and officials,” Ghalib Muhammad, head of Sulaimani’s energy committee, said at the time.