Desk Study on the Environment in Iraq Desk Study on the ... - UNEP

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surface and subsurface disturbance;
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creation of access corridors (roads, pipelines etc) in pristine and/or sensitive areas;
groundwater pollution (drilling through freshwater aquifers, leaking wells, re-injection of
oil-contaminated water);
• disposal of drilled material;
• disposal of chemicals;
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operational waste such as tank bottom sludge, lube oils etc;
disposal of Technologically Enhanced Radioactive Materials – TERM (well heads, pipes etc);
disposal of mercury-contaminated pipes, vessels etc;
normal non-hazardous wastes (e.g. wood, tyres, plastics).
In addition to these impacts is contamination of land and water bodies due to accidental oil
spills, while well blowouts, though infrequent, may result in large-scale contamination of
land, surface and ground water and air pollution.
At many oil fields, excess natural gas is burnt-off by operational flares. This may result in
locally elevated levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases (unburnt
hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide).
In any well-managed oil field, controls will be in place to address all the issues listed above,
including contingency plans for dealing with oil leaks and spillages, gas recovery plans, and
measures to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions.
Due to the impact of economic sanctions, Iraq’s oil sector has been starved of resources for
proper maintenance. This is likely to have resulted in:
• increased number of oil spills and leaks due to infrastructure degradation;
• lack of technology for leak detection and prevention;
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• flaring off of associated gas;
• little or no protection of aquifers;
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environmentally unacceptable disposal of drill cuttings and tank bottom sludge;
disposal of oil-contaminated water to shallow aquifers or to land (cheaper alternatives
than deeper injection or treatment).
In any case, it can be anticipated that environmental concerns would have been low among
the priorities of the state-owned oil industry, such that even routine waste management may
not have met industry standards in the region.
It can be expected that oil field operations in Iraq during the 1990s have resulted in significant
degradation of soil and ground water, air pollution and major greenhouse gas production. Dumping
areas for waste oil, water and chemicals are likely to be scattered across affected parts of the country.
It is therefore important that a comprehensive survey of all oil field operations is conducted.
The environmental consequences of conflict-related damage to the oil industry are dealt with in Chapter 4.
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<strong>Desk</strong> <strong>Study</strong>