Garbage-littered streets of Iraq's Kirkuk a daily nuisance to locals
KIRKUK, Iraq — Kirkuk lawmakers are requesting more money from the federal government, as residents complain of garbage lining the oil-rich city’s streets due to a lack of basic services.
Unlike most other Iraqi provinces, the disputed province of Kirkuk receives money from the Iraq’s ministries rather than that assigned to provinces in the federal budget.
However, some lawmakers say more needs to go directly to the province to pay for essential services and settle debts
“There are projects from 2012 and 2013 that contractors have not been paid for. The government owes the contractors massive amounts. Therefore, a budget should be allocated to Kirkuk [by the Iraqi government], Khabat Asaad, advisor to Kirkuk governor, told Rudaw.
However, some Kurdish residents of the city say the requested allocation would not make a difference in their lives. They accuse local authorities of not providing sufficient services to areas where members of the ethnic group live.
“The [local authorities] discriminate against some of the neighbourhoods. As you can see, this is the state of this area. This road is completely covered with garbage,” Hardi Obeid, a resident of Kirkuk’s Kurdistan neighborhood, told Rudaw.
“Whether or not a budget is allocated, nothing will be done,” claims Bashdar Izzadin, another resident of the area.
Several Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen lawmakers representing Kirkuk in Iraq’s parliament have requested the city receive a share of the federal budget.
However, one Kurdish MP is worried such an act would further corruption and of misusing state funds.
“We are not into the idea of any budget being allocated to Kirkuk as to prevent it from being misused. The current administration of Kirkuk is corrupt,” Rebwar Taha, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) MP, told Rudaw.
“As parliamentarians from Kirkuk, we are focusing on one point: a budget to be allocated for the clearing of the city's trash. Turkmen and Arabs [MPs from Kirkuk] have joined us in submitting this request that a budget only be allocated to Kirkuk municipality to clean the city of litter,” he added.
Explaining Kirkuk’s financial allocation, MP Dilan Ghafoor noted that “only 141 billion Iraqi dinars have been allocated to Kirkuk province in the 2021 budget, which is less than what has been allocated to other Iraqi provinces.”
She told Rudaw English on Saturday that “Kirkuk does not directly deal with the government, but all the province’s budget is funded through the ministries.”
Unlike most other Iraqi provinces, the disputed province of Kirkuk receives money from the Iraq’s ministries rather than that assigned to provinces in the federal budget.
However, some lawmakers say more needs to go directly to the province to pay for essential services and settle debts
“There are projects from 2012 and 2013 that contractors have not been paid for. The government owes the contractors massive amounts. Therefore, a budget should be allocated to Kirkuk [by the Iraqi government], Khabat Asaad, advisor to Kirkuk governor, told Rudaw.
However, some Kurdish residents of the city say the requested allocation would not make a difference in their lives. They accuse local authorities of not providing sufficient services to areas where members of the ethnic group live.
“The [local authorities] discriminate against some of the neighbourhoods. As you can see, this is the state of this area. This road is completely covered with garbage,” Hardi Obeid, a resident of Kirkuk’s Kurdistan neighborhood, told Rudaw.
“Whether or not a budget is allocated, nothing will be done,” claims Bashdar Izzadin, another resident of the area.
Several Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen lawmakers representing Kirkuk in Iraq’s parliament have requested the city receive a share of the federal budget.
However, one Kurdish MP is worried such an act would further corruption and of misusing state funds.
“We are not into the idea of any budget being allocated to Kirkuk as to prevent it from being misused. The current administration of Kirkuk is corrupt,” Rebwar Taha, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) MP, told Rudaw.
“As parliamentarians from Kirkuk, we are focusing on one point: a budget to be allocated for the clearing of the city's trash. Turkmen and Arabs [MPs from Kirkuk] have joined us in submitting this request that a budget only be allocated to Kirkuk municipality to clean the city of litter,” he added.
Explaining Kirkuk’s financial allocation, MP Dilan Ghafoor noted that “only 141 billion Iraqi dinars have been allocated to Kirkuk province in the 2021 budget, which is less than what has been allocated to other Iraqi provinces.”
She told Rudaw English on Saturday that “Kirkuk does not directly deal with the government, but all the province’s budget is funded through the ministries.”