Iraqi Environment Minister: I fear eating fish because AIDS patients' blood is dumped in the Tigris - Sarmad

Iraqi Environment Minister Soraya Abdul Wahid sparked widespread controversy after televised remarks in which she disclosed that hospital waste is being dumped into the Tigris River without treatment, a revelation that led her to change her dietary habits.

The minister confirmed that she has become more cautious about consuming fish after learning about the nature of what is being discharged into the river, which includes blood residues from patients, some of whom may be suffering from serious diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

In a related development, the minister had previously warned that Iraq faces a “real environmental disaster” due to ongoing water and air pollution, revealing her ministry’s intention to file lawsuits against officials and those responsible for pollution, particularly government entities that she said have failed to respond to the ministry’s demands.

Abdul Wahid noted that air pollution has become as dangerous as the pollution of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, calling for stricter penalties for violators and warning that the continuation of current treatment mechanisms could turn some villages, rural areas, and even cities into uninhabitable zones in the coming years.