oil sustains the economy, but kills iraqis

The phenomenon of flaring -the burning of gas in the fields- is becoming a health emergency. The first reports of cases come from refugee camps in Kurdistan, but the increased incidence of tumors affects the entire population. P. Samir: “Every day we find out about new cases”, an “awareness and prevention campaign” is needed, but there are no funds.

Milan () – For the government of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, the issue of oil extraction surpluses, which are burned because alternative disposal costs are unsustainable, remains a priority. However, the goals in terms of environmental protection are still far away, and in the meantime people are getting sick and dying. The incidence of tumors registers increasing figures, although the extent of the phenomenon is still underestimated and neoplasms are often kept hidden out of fear for a long time, and are discovered when the possibilities of treatment are already scarce, in the context of an emergency. which is both ecological and sanitary. “The widespread practice of burning crude oil – tells Fr. Samir Youssef, parish priest of Enishke, in the diocese of Amadiya – occurs above all in the centers of Dohuk and Erbil. During the night it is common to see the flames in the extraction places, but they also do it here, in Amadiya. The subject is known although nobody talks about it. We only know that every day we learn of new cases of cancer in young people, women and the elderly.

Flaring and neoplasms

Gas flaring (or burning gas) is a practice that consists of burning – without benefits in terms of energy production – the excess natural gas that is extracted together with oil, and that would be too expensive to use because it requires adequate infrastructure. . The gas generates a flame on top of the towers, clearly visible even from miles away. The practice is widespread in industrial oil, chemical and natural gas plants and not just at crude oil production sites, onshore and offshore. Doctors and residents of the area are convinced that the increase in neoplasms, especially in the Kawergosk refugee camp, on the outskirts of Erbil, is precisely related to flaring at a nearby Kar Group refinery, the largest private company. in the energy sector. A study published last year in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (Apjcp) revealed that the number of cancer patients doubled between 2013 and 2019 in Erbil and Duhok and, in general, in northern Iraq. Experts explain that this phenomenon is related to the recovery of production in the oil facilities that exist throughout the region when the conflict with the Islamic State (IS, former Isis) ended, while the central government of Baghdad continues to bet on hydrocarbons. to boost the national economy.

Only recently have some inhabitants of the Kurdish-Iraqi region, especially those in reception centers, wanted to share or make public their medical records showing diagnoses ranging from respiratory disorders – in mild or severe forms – to cancer. Moreover, during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars, some 1,200 tons of munitions were dropped in Iraq, making it difficult to distinguish between cancers caused by flaring and those caused by depleted uranium left behind by the massive bombings. The latest health emergency, in chronological order, is dangerous chemical substances, such as benzene, which threatens above all the 8,000 inhabitants of the center of Kawergosk. “Awareness of the problem is very weak”, except for “a few articles in the media”, says Fr. Samir. And it does not only affect the refugees from the centers, because even among the Christian, Yazidi and Kurdish population there is a notable increase in tumors: “My brother’s wife and a young man from the parish are sick with cancer – continues the priest – and there are many other cases in the cities, especially in Dohuk. Tobacco is blamed, but the young man in the parish does not smoke and neither does my sister-in-law. A doctor I know confirmed to me that it is much better to live far away from Dohuk or Erbil.” because they are close to the wells “where oil is burned”.

The figures of the emergency

Cancer and premature births are not the only reasons for concern. According to a study by Global Pediatric Health, respiratory viruses are almost twice as prevalent among children under the age of 15 in Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-administered areas than in neighboring Iran. The Erbil authorities had sent a directive to oil companies to phase out flaring by 2023, giving them 18 months to do so. However, according to the figures contained in the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC) report, the situation remained the same in the period between 2018 and November 2022. Furthermore, according to World Bank data, Russia is the country that burns the most amount of natural gas globally, with a figure of 24.88 billion cubic meters per year since 2020. Iraq follows closely behind, with 17.37 billion cubic meters. However, ERC’s analysis shows that the Iraqi population, on average, is much closer to the fields than the Russians. Since October 2018, at least 1.19 million people in Iraq have lived within a kilometer of at least 10 episodes of flaring. In Russia “only” 275,000 people have experienced the same level of exposure. The Kurdish regional government, through Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Ahmed Mufti, says it has put flaring on the agenda, calling it a “priority.” However, he insists on pointing out that the “zero” target is impossible, because the local economy is linked to the oil and gas industry. “Kurdistan -he comments- is very successful, and I claim the word success, in managing flaring, mitigating its levels within the possible options”. Words that, however, are denied by the facts: above all, the impossibility of achieving the objectives set by the Erbil authorities themselves.

The (lack of) prevention

The World Bank estimates that Iraq literally smokes about 17 billion cubic meters of gas a year, worth about $8 billion. This practice causes serious damage to the environment and extends from the Kurdish region – where the refugee camps are concentrated, the first victims of the phenomenon – to Basra, in the south. A BBC investigation has shown a direct relationship between gas flaring and increased incidence of cancer, due to the release of toxic pollutants such as benzene, a known cause of leukaemia. Added to this is the dispersion in the air of a lethal mixture of carbon dioxide, methane and highly polluting black soot. “As a Church – affirms the parish priest of Enishke – we are aware of the problem and we are evaluating how to intervene. I have spoken with a doctor to raise awareness about the issue, but it is the government that must act in the face of such a serious and widespread problem. The number of cases is unknown, but the emergency is real, although until now fear has prevailed. In fact, many do not want to undergo tests or studies, because there are no prevention campaigns or they are not well armed, and we depend on the conscience of individuals”. After the Isis drama and the return of the refugees, in terms of health “we are trying to do everything possible, but more resources are needed”, continues Fr. Samir. “Unfortunately, since the war broke out in Ukraine, we have been forgotten”, except for the support of individuals, small groups or Christian NGOs. “We continue with our commitment in all sectors -he concludes- and we focus on prevention. We do what we can, with the increasing difficulty in finding resources.”

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