Management of water quality and legal protection of rivers from the impacts of stone quarries: Diyala/ Sirwan River case study

Abstract

Currently, rivers encounter unprecedented human-made pressures, including climate change and increasing demand for their utilization as a result of population growth and economic development. In Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), gravel and sand are among the other raw materials that are produced in the river area such as Diyala/Sirwan River, which pose risks for water quality and its surrounding ecosystem. The objectives of this study are two main points: first, to evaluate the impacts of quarry activities on the water quality of the river, while the second objective is to examine the existing legal framework for the river protection from the harms of quarries projects nearby the river. The study adopted two main methods: for water quality assessment, 12 samples nearby the river were collected and analyzed through different water quality indexes and parameters. Meanwhile, the doctrinal legal method (Library-based legal research), was also used based on primary and secondary data to examine the legal protection of the river from mining investment in the KRI. The study found that the water quality of river was polluted by quarries projects during 2021 compared to 2022, when the quarries activities were restricted and prohibited from exploiting the river area for construction materials. Simultaneously, regarding the legal protection of the river, the study found some shortcomings under existing legislation. Despite that, lack of enforcement of related legislation and poor coordination among governmental institutions pose further environmental risks for the river; therefore, the study recommends to develop sufficient legal framework, stricter law enforcement, and effective coordination are necessary to survive the river.