Under the scorching rays of the Garmian sun, Siamand Mohammed sits next to a pond filled with stagnant, greenish water. He is deeply inhaling his cigarette with sorrow as he fears another batch of fish will die.
Mohammed's fears are not unfounded. Within the last 24 hours, 25 tons of his fish died due to the pollution of the pond water, causing him losses estimated at millions of Iraqi dinars IQD (I M IQD= 670USD).
Siamand's ponds, located in the village of Baniyasawi in the Koks sub-district of the Garmian administration, emit a strong sewage odor that overpowers the smell of fish.
"The source of our projects' water is the Sirwan River. The sewage water from Kalar and Girda Gozina flows into the river, causing our fish to die," Muhammad, 54, sighed. He runs a joint fish farming project that provides the livelihood of 15 people.
Most fish farming ponds in Garmian suffer from the same problem, with the water turning greenish due to the sewage water flowing upstream.
The sewage water from Kalar and Girda Gozina flows into the river, causing our fish to die
The mayor of Kalar district, Akram Saleh, and the mayor of Girda Gozina sub-district, Kamal Ali, confirmed that sewage water from houses in their areas flows directly into the Sirwan River.
"The sewage water in Girda Gozina flows through five to six channels into the Sirwan River. The design implemented to establish sewage networks did not consider its future effects on the river and the environment," Ali explained.
The water in fish farming projects is dirty and stagnant, making it impossible to see the fish inside. Dead fish float among algae in some corners of the pond.
Khasraw Abdul Karim Birzu, 50, feels guilty as he sees the livelihood of four brothers and 30 other people at stake. "Our problem is that the sewage water of Kalar and Girda Gozina flows into the river, especially the water of Girda Gozina, which mixes completely with the river."
He owns the Miran fish project in the village of Kala Sartapa, affiliated with the Koks subdistrict in the Garmian administration under the northern province of Sulaymaniyah. The project has five ponds on 36 dunams (hectares), with an annual production of about 70 tons.
Production has significantly declined in the last two years, with diseases causing huge losses to fish farming projects. Diseases have affected all the projects for the past three years, with losses of each project reaching 80 million dinars, heading towards closure. The diseases prevalent are viral and untreatable due to water pollution.
Siyamand Mohammed is worried about losing all the fish in his farming project, Kalar, August 2024. Ziryan Mohammed
There are 47 fish farming projects in Garmian, including 86 ponds, with other similar projects awaiting licensing, according to statistics from the Veterinary Wealth Department in the Garmian Agriculture Directorate.
Bakhtiar Ahmed, Director of the Veterinary Wealth Department in the General Directorate of Agriculture in Garmian, confirmed that sewage waters from Kalar and Girda Gozina flowing into the Sirwan River have caused diseases and great losses to fish farming projects.
"There are demands to form an operations room to confront the problem. We have stressed that sewage water flowing into Sirwan is a source of diseases but the Health Department denies this, and the municipality can’t solve the problem due to the need for a special budget," he added.
According to Bakhtiar, building pits to filter household sewage have been suggested to purify it from heavy materials before mixing directly with river water, but there has been no response.
The Kurdistan Region Water Management and Protection Law No. 4 of 2022 states that water pollution, including waste and sewage harming human health, other organisms, and the environment, is punishable by imprisonment for a minimum of six months and a fine of up to 10 million IQD.
While government departments are discussing how to address water pollution, Muhammad's losses continue to grow.
"Over the past two years, we have suffered huge losses. My losses amounted to about 50 to 60 million dinars. My fish died in the past two days, entirely due to water pollution," he said.
His project, established on 13 dunams with three large ponds, raises 13,000 fish each, with an annual production of 25 tons.
"The most prominent diseases that have affected our fish are fish worms that infect the body, scales, and intestines of the fish, in addition to mold, such as ear mold, and oxygen deprivation."
If the water in the pond is clean, it should be changed once a week, but Siyamand's pond water must be cleaned and changed every 24 hours due to pollution.
"Because the water is dirty, we have to change it frequently. In addition, we have installed oxygen supply devices in the ponds."
The official media of the Environmental Protection and Conservation Authority warns that household waste and sewage water contain various types of bacteria and viruses that pollute river and lake water. Consuming this water through drinking or eating fish and aquatic organisms causes skin diseases, diarrhea, and typhoid fever. The World Health Organization states that water contaminated with germs is a source of diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.
Sewage water contains heavy metals and environment for the growth of germs, mold, and bacteria.
Dr. Arian Ibrahim, Director of Garmian Veterinary Hospital, explained that mixing household sewage water with the water of the Sirwan River affects all fish farming projects, causing diseases, especially worms that infect fish. Sewage water contains heavy metals and environment for the growth of germs, mold, and bacteria.
“The diseases prevalent in fish farming ponds need tests, especially to determine the percentage of heavy metals in the water but we don’t have devices for this purpose,” he added.
Garmian Veterinary Hospital has committees that visit fish farming projects to provide advice and guidance. The director of Garmian Veterinary noted that project owners make mistakes by not sterilizing the ponds until they are infected with diseases and overcrowding ponds with extra fish, leading to insufficient oxygen.
The water in some fish farming projects, known as the Sheikh Langar irrigation project, which comes from the Sirwan River, has turned black and green due to sewage.
Moayad Ahmed, director of Garmian Irrigation, explained the irrigation project supplies water to many projects, especially fish farms. "One of the problems facing the project is the sewage from the houses of Kalar district and Girda Gozina, which pollutes the Sirwan River."
The Sheikh Langar irrigation project, covering an area of 18 square kilometers with 30 gates for irrigation, is a water source for farms and fish ponds.
“The municipality can’t solve the problem due to the budget required for sewage recycling,” said Moayad Ahmed who discussed the issue with the Girda Gozina municipality, and no solutions have been found.
Kamal Ali, mayor of Girda Gozina, confirmed the challenges faced by the town due to its location on the banks of the river. He emphasized the need for a sewage treatment unit, but “is it going to be done?”
The local government lacks a sufficient budget, waiting for investment opportunities to implement the project
Over half of the world's sewage is discharged into rivers and water sources, and only 11% is treated, says the UN. Sewage treatment has other benefits as the materials can become an alternative to chemical fertilizers.
Akram Saleh, mayor of Kalar district, highlighted the importance of recycling sewage to address the issue. The local government lacks a sufficient budget, waiting for investment opportunities to implement the project.
Every residential project in the area needs a sewage treatment unit, and the municipality plans to install a treatment unit for the entire Kalar district. However, the timeline for the project remains uncertain.
With no solutions in sight, fish farming production in Garmian continues to decline year after year. Statistics from the Veterinary Wealth Department show a decrease in production volume from 334 tons in 2019 to 273 tons last year.
Siamand lingers around the fish tanks, visibly worried about his project's future. Inhaling his last cigarette, he puts his hand in an old rusty tank to take out a handful of fish food, clinging to what remains of his hope.
This story was produced within the program to expand the role of women in covering environmental issues by the KirkukNow Media Outlet with support and funding from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
