UN Environment Experts Assist Kirkuk on Remediation of Oil Spills
UN Environment experts assist Kirkuk on remediation of oil spills
Kirkuk, 26 September 2019 - The UNAMI Kirkuk Development Coordination Office (DCO) supported and facilitated the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to organize a four-day workshop on “Remediation of Oil Contaminated Sites in the Conflict-Affected Areas” at the North Oil Company in Kirkuk. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Oil, the Ministry of Health and Environment and the North Oil Company and was funded by the Government of Norway.
The workshop organized over four days from 23-26 September, two days were reserved for theoretical lectures and two days involved practical exercises at oil spill sites in Kirkuk. The workshop brought together 30 experts from the above-mentioned ministries and the North Oil Company, especially from the conflict-affected governorates, and the main oil producing regions. Aim of workshop was to strengthen the capacity of the participants to prevent oil spills and remediate sites that contaminated because of the recent ISIL-conflict. It provided participants with an understanding of the different methods used for cleaning up of oil spill; remediation; design and implementation of a tiered Remediation Action Plan, based on a rapid technical risk assessment; practical field experience to understand the bioremediation of oil contaminated sites. The workshop also went into the legal and regulatory aspects related to the remediation of contaminated and polluted sites, with attention to proper valuing of the environmental and economic damages caused by artisan productions and oil spills.
The workshop was officiated by Dr. Jassim A. Al-Falahi the Deputy of the Ministry of Health and Environment, in the presence of Mr. Safa Abdulrahman, the Deputy Director-General of the North Oil Company, and Mr. Ali Abdelrazzaq Director General of the Northern Directorate of Environmental Protection and Improvement and Ms. Laura Romanazzi, UNAMI Kirkuk Head of Office.
The Deputy of the Ministry of Health and Environment stressed that the capacity building and introduction of modern techniques will help Iraq assessing and remediating oil pollution, and the workshop will assist Iraq in overcoming current environmental challenges, especially in terms of Oil spills and Contamination.
UNAMI Kirkuk Head of Office emphasized that this workshop is very timely, and important to strengthen the national capacity to prevent, remediate and clean-up oil spillage and oil contamination as well to promote clean energy in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals.
It’s worth to mention that DCO also organized, on 22 September, an assessment visit to several oil contaminated sites in Kirkuk for a visiting delegation from the United Nations Environment Programme. The purpose was to allow UNEP gain first-hand assessment of the challenges related to the remediation of oil spills and contamination. The team were able to select two contaminated sites for the practical exercises in the workshop of Remediation of Oil Contaminated Sites in the Conflict-Affected Areas that started on 23 September 2019.
Photos by UNAMI PIO/Harit Al-Obaidi.
Kirkuk, 26 September 2019 - The UNAMI Kirkuk Development Coordination Office (DCO) supported and facilitated the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to organize a four-day workshop on “Remediation of Oil Contaminated Sites in the Conflict-Affected Areas” at the North Oil Company in Kirkuk. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Oil, the Ministry of Health and Environment and the North Oil Company and was funded by the Government of Norway.
The workshop organized over four days from 23-26 September, two days were reserved for theoretical lectures and two days involved practical exercises at oil spill sites in Kirkuk. The workshop brought together 30 experts from the above-mentioned ministries and the North Oil Company, especially from the conflict-affected governorates, and the main oil producing regions. Aim of workshop was to strengthen the capacity of the participants to prevent oil spills and remediate sites that contaminated because of the recent ISIL-conflict. It provided participants with an understanding of the different methods used for cleaning up of oil spill; remediation; design and implementation of a tiered Remediation Action Plan, based on a rapid technical risk assessment; practical field experience to understand the bioremediation of oil contaminated sites. The workshop also went into the legal and regulatory aspects related to the remediation of contaminated and polluted sites, with attention to proper valuing of the environmental and economic damages caused by artisan productions and oil spills.
The workshop was officiated by Dr. Jassim A. Al-Falahi the Deputy of the Ministry of Health and Environment, in the presence of Mr. Safa Abdulrahman, the Deputy Director-General of the North Oil Company, and Mr. Ali Abdelrazzaq Director General of the Northern Directorate of Environmental Protection and Improvement and Ms. Laura Romanazzi, UNAMI Kirkuk Head of Office.
The Deputy of the Ministry of Health and Environment stressed that the capacity building and introduction of modern techniques will help Iraq assessing and remediating oil pollution, and the workshop will assist Iraq in overcoming current environmental challenges, especially in terms of Oil spills and Contamination.
UNAMI Kirkuk Head of Office emphasized that this workshop is very timely, and important to strengthen the national capacity to prevent, remediate and clean-up oil spillage and oil contamination as well to promote clean energy in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals.
It’s worth to mention that DCO also organized, on 22 September, an assessment visit to several oil contaminated sites in Kirkuk for a visiting delegation from the United Nations Environment Programme. The purpose was to allow UNEP gain first-hand assessment of the challenges related to the remediation of oil spills and contamination. The team were able to select two contaminated sites for the practical exercises in the workshop of Remediation of Oil Contaminated Sites in the Conflict-Affected Areas that started on 23 September 2019.
Photos by UNAMI PIO/Harit Al-Obaidi.
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