Iraq plans to develop informal settlements, home to 3 million citizens
The Iraqi Ministry of Reconstruction, Housing, and Municipal Public Works announced new regulations for urban housing to achieve sustainable development, noting that more than 3 million citizens live in 4,000 informal settlements. Nabil Al-Saffar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Reconstruction, stated that “the increase in areas where encroachments on agricultural and state lands have occurred is due to rising real estate prices and citizens’ inability to purchase residential units, which has driven them to buy in these areas or encroach upon them because of their lower costs, leading to the emergence of informal settlements and placing significant pressure on infrastructure services.” He added that “the 2023 informal settlement stabilization survey conducted by the Ministry of Planning revealed that more than three million Iraqis live in approximately 4,000 informal settlements across the country, including more than 1,000 in Baghdad alone. These areas suffer from overcrowding and unsuitable living conditions,” according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
He clarified that “the issue of developing informal settlements and upgrading unplanned residential areas is a complex file requiring comprehensive government effort due to the interplay of multiple factors, particularly legal issues related to land and the change of land use to residential purposes. The government has begun addressing this problem by issuing a series of decisions, including one on addressing encroachments on agricultural lands and another on encroachments on municipal institutions.” He noted that “service and engineering efforts have entered many informally established areas to provide basic services, as they have become de facto residential zones.”
Al-Saffar further stated that “the Ministry is working on establishing regulatory controls for urban housing and achieving sustainable development, and addressing the growing demographic, urban, and economic challenges facing Iraq, through its specialized directorates, including the Directorate of Urban Planning, the Housing Department, the Buildings Department, the National Center for Engineering Consultations, and the Directorate of General Municipalities.” He emphasized that “this is being done by relying on a set of laws, regulations, standards, guidelines, and codes, ensuring optimal land use to provide adequate housing, achieve social stability, and enhance the quality of life for Iraqi citizens.”
