In central Iraq, the province of Salaheddine is affected every winter by serious oil pollution. Agricultural lands are destroyed. It all began, according to residents and local authorities, when Daesh seized the oil fields located in the nearby Hamrine mountains. In the second episode, RFI goes back to the sources of this pollution with local authorities, in search of an effective solution.
Arriving from the north of the province of Salaheddine, we cross the Hamrine mountains. Our driver is clearly not comfortable getting this close. Islamic State fighters are still hiding here. 10 years ago, they occupied the district and resold the production of the oil fields to finance the self-proclaimed caliphate. Since then, every winter, liters of black gold carried by the rain sweep over the agrarian lands of al-Alam.
“ During ISIS’s occupation of al-Alam, oil wells were opened and large quantities of oil were stolen. This operation was carried out in a barbaric manner, torrents of oil filled caves and valleys near the Ajeel and Alas oil fields. “, explains Wael Asem Khalaf, the director of the agricultural department of al-Alam. “When rains hit the region, oil is washed out of caves and crevices into valleys and covers large areas of agricultural land,” adds the director of the department.
Nearly 500 hectares have been affected each year for nine years. In 2023, total losses for farmers amounted, according to Wael Asem Khalaf, to nearly 115,000 euros. “ We were invited by a committee of the Iraqi Parliament and we asked the Iraqi government that they be recognized as victims of the actions of the Islamic State and be compensated. »
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How to remediate land
Although financial compensation is still pending, the North Oil Company, the public oil exploitation company, has started to finance new infrastructure to try to stem the phenomenon. Ahmed Shlash, director of the farmers’ union, takes us to the construction site of this “oil trap”, at the foot of the Hamrine mountains.
“ As you see on the right and left, we are building a dam to prevent crude oil flooding. A few weeks ago, crude oil was coming down here to the farms from the Hamrine mountains and the Alas oil field, he explains. Now we have done this installation. When the water comes, the clean water will enter at these pipes and the oil will float on top. As long as the water does not exceed a certain level, the oil will not come out. »
The retained pollutant should, according to the plans, then be recovered by the oil company. At the same time, operations to clean up contaminated land are planned. All that remains is to wait until the end of next winter to find out if these solutions will have worked.
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