“To treat waste”.. Will Baghdad succeed in building sanitary landfills to protect the environment?

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[size=52]“To treat waste”.. Will Baghdad succeed in building sanitary landfills to protect the environment?[/size]

[size=45]Treating waste in a scientific and healthy manner is an urgent necessity to preserve the environment and the health of the Iraqi citizen, especially in the capital, Baghdad, which faces major challenges as a result of the increasing accumulation of waste.[/size]
[size=45]Building sanitary landfills outside the capital is a practical solution that can help reduce the environmental and health damage caused by waste accumulation within the city. This step ensures safe and sustainable disposal of waste and protects natural resources such as water and soil from pollution.
In addition, scientific waste management enhances environmental awareness and creates new job opportunities, which contributes to improving the quality of public life and reducing health threats resulting from air and water pollution.[/size]
[size=45]In an interview with a waste and environmental management specialist, Ahmed Al-Azzawi, an environmental professor at the University of Baghdad, explained that “it is important to take serious steps to treat waste in scientific and healthy ways. He said: “The accumulation of waste in cities, especially in the capital Baghdad, has become a direct threat to the health of Iraqi citizens and the environment alike, and traditional methods of waste disposal, such as random burning or burying it without treatment, cause air, soil and groundwater pollution. This pollution negatively affects public health, as it causes the spread of respiratory diseases, skin diseases and even some chronic diseases in the long term.”
Al-Azzawi stressed that the ideal solution is to “build sanitary landfills outside the capital’s borders, away from residential areas,” adding that “sanitary landfills are facilities designed in a scientific way to prevent the leakage of harmful materials into the environment. They rely on isolating waste using special linings that prevent the leakage of liquids into the soil and groundwater, in addition to systems to collect emitted gases such as methane to use them in generating energy, which turns waste into a sustainable economic source.”
Al-Azzawi pointed out that “these solutions require government support and cooperation between the public and private sectors.”
He also called for “the need to raise environmental awareness among citizens to reduce waste production at the source and encourage recycling.”
He concluded his speech by saying: “If we do not act now to address this challenge in a scientific manner, the consequences will be dire for the health of future generations and for the environment on which we depend in our daily lives.”
For his part, Baghdad Mayor Ammar Musa said in a press statement that “the waste treatment process is carried out according to the environmental specifications set by the Ministry of Environment through model sanitary landfills.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "What was raised about the reason for the spread of this smell is the asphalt production plants in the capital, as these plants have been producing for many years and are located outside the capital's borders."
He pointed out that, "according to the directives of the Prime Minister, a committee was formed headed by the Ministry of Environment, the Prime Minister's Advisor for Environmental Affairs, the Baghdad Municipality, the Ministry of Electricity and the ministries concerned with this file," noting that, "the committee held its first meeting to determine the causes of this pollution and go to develop solutions to address it."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "The Baghdad Municipality is keen to improve the environment for citizens, as it began launching a major tree-planting campaign at the beginning of this month."[/size]
[size=45]The capital, Baghdad, is experiencing dangerous levels of air pollution, ranking among the most polluted cities in the world. This pollution is due to several factors, most notably vehicle exhaust emissions, unregulated industrial activity, and random waste burning in and around the city. All of these sources contribute to high levels of suspended particles and chemical pollutants in the air, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which increases the risk of respiratory and heart diseases, in addition to reducing the overall quality of life.[/size]
[size=45]The situation has also been exacerbated by the lack of adequate environmental planning and the scarcity of green spaces that help purify the air. It is necessary to address this crisis by taking immediate measures such as regulating traffic, relying on clean energy sources, and building waste treatment facilities according to health standards that contribute to reducing toxic emissions.[/size]
[size=45]In light of these environmental challenges, Baghdad needs greater attention from the concerned authorities to put an end to this environmental deterioration that directly affects the health of millions of residents.[/size]
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