Air pollution in Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A review

Air pollution is an increasingly environmental problem worldwide. People from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) constantly complain of air quality in the region. Many studies have investigated particular aspects of air pollution in the KRI, the issue, however, has never been comprehensively discussed or holistically presented. This study, unlike its precedents, collects all the documents, research articles, and ground facts available concerning air pollution, and aims to thoroughly understand all dimensions of the issue and classifies its significant factors and sources. The result revealed that, compared to 40 years ago, current air quality in the KRI, specifically in the two largest cities of Erbil and Sulaimani, has remarkably deteriorated. The root causes were found to be political instability and wars in the region, a sharp increase in population, and poor public services. Similar to many other cities in the developing countries, sources such as transportation have contributed in the pollution. In addition, other significant sources such as dust storms, household kerosene heaters, as well as large and private power generators which might not be present in other countries were found contributing in escalation of the pollution. It is concluded that air pollution in the KRI is the outcome of a variety of causes and sources most of which may not be common, hampering prevention and solutions by individuals and the government.