They do not pass by a school, mosque, or public place in the city without leaving their mark through afforestation campaigns.
The achievements of the Kirkuk Green Volunteer team suggest that it was formed years ago, not only few months ago.
Abbas Majeed, the founder of the initiative and supervisor of the team, graduated from the Oil Institute and realizes the catastrophic effects of crude oil production on his city.
"I noticed that the effects of climate change are worsening, and the percentage of greenery is declining year after year, so I decided to contribute to the afforestation of our city."
The team includes all the ethnic and religious components of Kirkuk from different groups and segments of society. The only concern that unites them is the afforestation of the city and combating desertification.
The percentage of green spaces in Kirkuk does not exceed 2%, according to statistics obtained by (KirkukNow) from government department while international standards have determined the percentage to be not less than 30%. The danger lies in the presence of five main oil fields in Kirkuk, which are sources of air pollution and environmental harm due to their emissions.
Creating Green Spaces
The Kirkuk Green Volunteer team was established last August at the initiative of Majeed with the contribution of many young men in the city. Currently, 46 volunteers of both sexes are serving their city's environment within the framework of this team.
"The number of those enrolled in the team is increasing day by day," according to Majeed.
With the launch of each event and its announcement on social media, many join the campaign to participate in afforestation, including teachers, police officers, engineers, farmers, nursery owners, and municipal employees.
Mohamed Ahmed volunteered to work in the team through one of his friends. Muhammad says, "During the past few months, our neighborhood and school have turned into a green spot." The team members bear the costs of these campaigns themselves or through donations, but the team always ensures the implementation of campaigns in scientific and engineering ways.
Trees and greenery are essential components of the environment, protecting the soil and air from pollution, as they reduce the effects of climate change. The United Nations UN emphasizes that life cannot continue without trees and greenery; the cultivation of trees and plants reduces the emission of carbon dioxide, absorbs toxic gases, and produces oxygen.
Each medium-sized tree absorbs 1.7 kg of carbon dioxide and produces 120 liters of oxygen. This offsets the harmful effects and pollution left behind by a single vehicle, which requires planting seven trees.
Mona Nisayif, an engineer in the municipality and a volunteer within the team, says, "After seeing the group's activities on Facebook, I realized that there are risks related to climate change. So we used to meet to develop plans and determine locations that need afforestation."
The volunteer team is present everywhere; the only condition is for the place to need trees, whether it is a school, mosque, or public street sidewalks. "These sites are the most in need of afforestation in Kirkuk, so we decided to collect donations to buy seedlings and plant them there."
Mona says their goal is to save Kirkuk from the dangers of desertification and maintain water and air cleanliness.
In addition to increasing green spaces, the team achieves other goals, including creating an environmental consciousness, especially among children, by teaching them to care for trees. The team also encourages residents of neighborhoods and different areas to plant trees and take care of them.
She understands the effects of climate change and, as an engineer in the municipality, provides instructions and guidelines to team members on suitable sites for planting seedlings and preferred varieties.
Education is the foundation
Kirkuk schools were the first stop for the activities of the Majeed’s volunteer team, where the team plants trees and provides practical lessons to students.
"The gardens of most schools dried up and turned more like deserts, so we started afforestation in 21 primary, middle, and preparatory schools in cooperation with teachers and students. This campaign aims to provide environmental education that will benefit them in the future," according to Majeed.
The team's activities have expanded. In another phase, the volunteer team conducted afforestation campaigns in several Kirkuk departments, Technical College, Bajuan neighborhood, the passenger transport terminal, and other locations.
The team's responsibility does not end with planting trees but includes a commitment from the locations afforested to continue caring for them. The team also, at its own expense, fences the planted seedlings to protect them.
Sarkawt Omar, headmaster of Raz Primary School, praises the team's efforts. "They brought 40 trees to plant in our school garden. Students and teachers helped the volunteers plant the trees and have committed to caring for and watering them regularly."
The school has 600 male and female students but lacked greenery.
"There were no trees for students to spend time under their shade. The teaching staff was not able to plant a tree or plant for the students registered at the school, but their plan was unsuccessful."
The efforts of the Kirkuk Green Team are still in the early stages, but within a short period, the team managed to plant over 530 trees, including olive, Albizia, Calypso, and Acacia trees.
"We have seen the ability of these trees to adapt to Kirkuk's climate. The citizens of Kirkuk call us to ask us to plant trees in their areas," says Ahmed, adding that the team continues to monitor and inspect the places where trees were planted to ensure their care.
The northern, oil-rich province of Kirkuk, home to 1.7 million people, comprises four districts and covers an area of 9,600 square kilometers.
The province has 730 oil wells that pollute the air with harmful emissions, posing a threat to the health of the population and causing various diseases such as respiratory issues and cancer.
In 2023, over 2,000 cancer cases were diagnosed out of a total of 35,000 cases in Kirkuk.
A break under the trees
In two years, the students of Sabat School will soon enjoy the shade of trees recently planted in the school garden. The Kirkuk Green Volunteer Team initiated the planting of 15 trees as a first step to help reduce dust and beautify the school.
"Our plot for garden has been dry for years, and the Education Directorate has not provided us with any trees or seedlings to plant," said headmaster Soran Ezzeddine.
The school's principal, which has 260 students, called on volunteer teams to conduct afforestation campaigns in other schools that are environmentally neglected.
He mentioned that the school has devised a plan to care for the trees through a committee formed by the school in collaboration with the team. In addition to promoting environmental awareness, "teachers and students are very enthusiastic about this campaign, and we quickly set up a watering system for the trees."
The United Nations UN describes trees and greenery as not only providing beauty but also helping to maintain lung, liver, and heart health. They contribute to ensuring a safe and sustainable healthy life by improving air quality. If strategically distributed in cities, trees can help reduce temperatures by 2-8 degrees Celsius.
Trees act as natural filters for toxic gases, dust, and pollutants, in addition to their other environmental benefits. Studies by the UN show that living near green spaces improves the physical and psychological health of humans by reducing blood pressure and stress levels.
Drilling to transplant trees near one of the schools, Kirkuk, 2024. Eexlusively for (KirkukNow)
Songul Ali, the principal of the Sumerian Girls' Preparatory School, mentioned that the school has a large garden and a wide square where 12 Albizia and Ninea trees were planted by the volunteer team.
The enthusiasm of the environmental service volunteer team motivated Ali to pay for some seedlings and trees at her own expense. "Their work is organized and planned. A week ago, they determined the spacing between trees, the types of trees, and the soil conditions," she added.
The school's students and staff cooperate to care for the trees. Every morning, the principal gives the students a brief lesson on environmental awareness.
Ahmed Omar, director of the Kirkuk Municipality, called for coordination between volunteer teams to implement environmental activities and praised their tireless work in increasing green spaces and promoting environmental awareness. "We are working to spread environmental awareness in coordination with the municipality. We have organized several activities and aim to spread more awareness and address environmental challenges together."
The municipality expressed its readiness to provide seedlings to volunteer teams and assist in their cultivation. "If they need equipment and tools, we will provide them," Omar said.
Kirkuk has 200 public parks and gardens, some of which are several donums in size, while others are smaller. Additionally, there are 81 medium islands ranging from 1-5 kilometers.
"Kirkuk is surrounded by oil labs and companies, and the percentage of greenery is very low. Even if we plant a million trees in one year, it will take 15 years to reach the global standard," explained Shakofa Muhammad, an environmental activist. She emphasized that Kirkuk urgently needs the efforts of its youth to address environmental issues.
She noted that the volunteer team has prioritized schools in their work, as they have been
neglected from an environmental perspective. "Schools were more like deserts."
The process requires experience
Afforestation campaigns in Kirkuk require more experience, precision, and awareness. These factors are essential for ensuring that afforestation campaigns benefit rather than harm the environment.
Shakofa, who has been conducting afforestation campaigns for years in various regions of Kirkuk, stated that the main challenge is that some volunteer teams make mistakes due to a lack of experience in selecting suitable tree types for the region's environment and ensuring they are grown in a way that prevents drought.
"The distance between trees and seedlings should not be less than three meters. Volunteer teams need to coordinate with the municipality and relevant authorities because they are not familiar with the city's basic layout and planned projects."
In addition to the local government failing to fulfill promises of increasing green areas in the city over the past two decades, the efforts of many organizations and volunteer teams have not made a significant change in the city's environmental reality.
Kirkuk Municipality Director reiterated the need for coordination, as some volunteer teams overlook this aspect.
"Some teams create problems by planting trees in areas lacking water sources, choosing tree types unsuitable for the region's climate, and not using proper planting methods."
He emphasized that the municipality has engineers who can provide advice and guidance.
The Kirkuk Green Volunteer Team continuously seeks to learn scientific agricultural methods, selecting suitable locations for their campaigns due to the presence of experts, agricultural engineers, and farmers within the team.
The team lacks financial support as donations can not cover all the expenses and poor support by the public in preserving green spaces.
Majeed highlighted the lack of financial support and failure to implement measures to prevent tree cutting as additional challenges.
"We are focused on spreading environmental awareness because our main challenge is that citizens do not cooperate and do not understand the importance of the environment and green spaces.”
This story has been produced as part of expanding the role of women in covering environmental topics program, implemented by the (Kirkuk Now) Media Outlet with the support and funding of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany.
