Environment Ministry Clarifies Minister Remarks on Tigris Pollution and Fish

The Ministry of Environment issued an official clarification on Sunday regarding recent remarks by Minister Srwa Abdul Wahid, firmly refuting claims that human immunodeficiency virus can be transmitted through eating fish or drinking water. The clarification followed a televised interview where the minister stated she had become hesitant to eat fish after discovering that untreated hospital waste, including blood residues from patients suffering from serious conditions such as HIV, is directly dumped into the Tigris River. The ministry explained that the remarks were primarily aimed at sounding an alarm regarding the severe health and environmental repercussions of disposing untreated medical waste and contaminated water into rivers. It emphasized the critical need to process such effluents in line with approved safety standards to protect national water reserves and preserve public safety. The statement highlighted that certain media coverages presented the statements in a scientifically inaccurate manner, mistakenly correlating untreated waste disposal with the transmission of HIV through consuming fish, which necessitated an evidence-based correction. The ministry reiterated that established scientific data proves the virus cannot spread via fish consumption, drinking water, or foodstuffs, underlining that environmental warnings focus strictly on factual ecological risks impacting public health and aquatic ecosystems.