The Environmental Consequences of Iraq's Oil Fires Are Going Unrecorded

Dec 1, 2016 | Doug Weir
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The oil fires burning in and around the northern Iraqi town of Qayyarah began in July when retreating Islamic State forces ignited wells, storage tanks and a refinery. Fires at facilities on the Alas oil field near Baiji and Tikrit around 100km south east of Qayyarah have been burning since January 2016. In late October, Islamic State also set a sulphur factory alight, leading to 1,000 people requiring medical treatment, and there are fears that industrial facilities in Mosul may also be in their sights.

Satellite imaging of the plumes from the fires between July and October by the UN has revealed that an area of around 256 square kilometres have been covered by the smoke plumes for more than 21 days, with a number of towns particularly badly affected. In light of the large numbers of people, and the size of the area affected, environmental and health monitoring is vital. Satellite imaging and modelling are playing an important role in efforts to map areas of concern, but it is no substitute for data collection on the ground.