Iraq Shuts Down Hundreds of Projects Over Environmental Breaches in 2026

Competent authorities in Iraq announced the closure of 761 projects during 2026, a measure taken due to their involvement in environmental violations that threaten public health and the environment. Engineer Sinan Jaafar Mohammed, Director General of the General Directorate of Environmental Protection and Improvement in the Central Region, affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, stated in an official newspaper that these actions aim to curb environmentally impactful transgressions. He clarified that legal measures are not limited to closing violating activities but also include issuing warnings, temporary suspensions, imposing financial fines, and referring cases to the judiciary. Mohammed affirmed that activities lacking environmental approval are not permitted to continue until proper authorization is obtained. Violating activities are warned to rectify the breach within a specified legal period; otherwise, they face operational suspension or temporary closure until the violation is addressed. He added that the law allows for imposing recurring monthly fines until the violation is removed, in addition to judicial referral. In a related context, the Environmental Police Directorate, part of the Ministry of Interior, announced that 761 projects were closed in 2026. The director of public relations and media for the directorate, Colonel Physicist Mustafa Abdul Hassan Jabir, indicated that the primary environmental impact factors, owing to their operational nature and effects on air, water, and soil, include extraction processes and petroleum industries. This is compounded by the escalating demand for generating larger quantities of electricity, which leads to increased fuel consumption. Jabir further explained that sectors such as brick and asphalt manufacturing also contribute to environmental impacts due to the emissions and waste associated with their activities. He considered the improper management of sanitary landfill sites as one of the current environmental challenges.