Kurdistan
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw plants a tree in the city to mark the first Erbil Environment Day on April 4, 2022. Photo: Handout
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s environment board announced on Monday that it has set April 4 as Erbil Environment Day; a date marked by the planting of trees in the city. Other provinces and independent administrations in the Region will have separate dates for the same purpose; to draw attention to the importance of protecting and preserving the environment.
According to the Kurdistan Region’s Environmental Protection and Improvement Board, each province and independent administration will have a specific day on which to value the environment and hold related activities in this regard.
Abdulrahman Sadiq, head of the board, told reporters on Monday that the UN had asked them to specify Environment Day dates for each area.
“We asked our offices in Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok [provinces] and Garmyan and Raparin [independent administrations] to set a date for environment on the condition that the date should not coincide with any ethnic and national events so that the environment is not ignored,” Sadiq said.
Most ethnic and national events in the Kurdistan Region occur in March.
The official added that the day will be celebrated on September 22 in Garmyan, October 23 in Raparin, November 1 in Duhok and November 8 in Sulaimani.
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told reporters that, “We hope that this step can take the Erbil environment to another level next year.” Air pollution is an issue in the Region’s cities, with growing awareness of the serious health problems it can cause, such as cancer.
April 16 is the Kurdistan Region’s Environment Day, and June 5 is World Environment Day.
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