SORAN, Kurdistan Region — Tourist sites in the Kurdistan Region are being left covered in litter, including in Erbil's Soran district. "We come here to cool off. We pay a lot of attention to keeping the resort and water clean. When the water is dirty, we do not feel comfortable and our children won’t able to play around here," said tourist Naha Raeed. The Balakayati area is particularly popular with tourists. The tourism sector took a hit last year due to coronavirus lockdowns, but is now recovering. On the first day of Eid, thousands of tourists from central and southern Iraq visited Erbil. Soran authorities say they plan on cracking down on littering. "We will have to commit the tourist companies and resorts to keeping the area clean. This is their responsibility. We have to take this issue seriously," said Soran Mayor Halgurd Sheikh Najib.
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