Baghdad, Iraq – The Iraq Green Observatory, an environmental monitoring group, revealed on Sunday a silent health catastrophe threatening the lives of millions of Iraqis. It confirmed that the country’s water sources, particularly the Tigris River, have become a breeding ground for aerobic E. coli bacteria. This is a result of unprecedented levels of pollution.
What are “colon” bacteria?
The observatory explained in its report that E. coli bacteria are widespread strains that naturally live in the intestines of humans and animals, but their danger lies in their transmission to drinking water sources. This occurs as a result of the discharge of untreated sewage. It emphasized that consuming water or food contaminated with these bacteria leads to a range of serious health problems.
List of deadly diseases
The observatory warned that current water pollution in Iraq is causing at least 13 diseases. The most prominent are acute gastrointestinal disorders, beginning with watery diarrhea that can progress to bloody diarrhea, accompanied by severe abdominal cramps, vomiting, and fever. Urinary tract infections occur as a result of bacteria spreading from the digestive system to the urinary tract, causing excruciating pain. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the most dangerous, leading to the destruction of red blood cells. It also causes acute kidney failure and a drop in platelet count, a potentially fatal condition. In cases of weakened immunity, sepsis and other infections can occur, as bacteria can enter the bloodstream, causing life-threatening poisoning. Other causes include inflammation of the gallbladder and bile ducts, and even meningitis, especially in newborns.
sterilized water trick
In a shocking warning, the observatory pointed out that millions of cubic meters of “heavy water” are being dumped into water sources from the north to the south of the country without any treatment. It emphasized that citizens who resort to buying “sterilized” water from markets are falling prey to a false sense of security, as this water is often drawn from polluted sources such as the Tigris River. Furthermore, simple purification devices struggle to separate the heavy metals and toxic substances present in it.
Calls for urgent governmental and legislative action
Faced with this tragic reality, the Green Iraq Observatory issued an urgent appeal to the executive and legislative branches to convene an emergency session to discuss the pollution crisis in the Tigris River and other water sources. The Observatory demanded decisive action to eliminate the sources of pollution and impose the strictest legal penalties on any entities or facilities that dump their waste into the river. This report sounds the alarm about the state of water security in Iraq and places a direct moral and legal responsibility on the government to protect citizens from the threat of a slow death flowing through their rivers.
