Kirkuk activists raise awareness of environmental issues

KIRKUK, Iraq — Environmental activists in Kirkuk have made a statue to highlight the problem of littering and a lack of green spaces in the city. 

"This statue is called the Environment Statue and is designed to represent how Kirkuk is covered in trash... This shows how little green space there is in Kirkuk and that most of it is covered in trash," said activist Paywand Subhi. 

The statue is made out of plastic and glass bottles, and can be found on the main road into the city. 

Subhi and other activists are also painting murals and plating trees to raise awareness of environmental issues. 

"We want to make children aware that they shouldn’t throw their trash in these places," said volunteer Evan Faysal.

"Our goal is to make people aware that they shouldn’t litter in public places, especially around schools and places where people commute a lot," added Mohammed Qasim. 

Translation by Anis Ari