Erbil air is cleaner as private generators phase out, says environment board

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The black cloud of pollution hanging over Erbil is “close to disappearing” as a round-the-clock power initiative has phased out thousands of private generators, the head of Kurdistan Region’s environment board said on Saturday.

“Reducing gases, especially CO2 gas, has the benefit of decreasing the percentage of toxic gases. By shutting down the generators, the air has changed significantly. In Erbil city, the changes are visible to the eye, and the black smog the city had is close to disappearing,” Sanan Abdullah, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Board of Environmental Protection and Improvement, told Rudaw. 

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Erbil on Saturday afternoon is a moderate 66, meaning people with existing health issues should avoid outdoor activity, according to the IQAir platform.

Over 2,500 private generators have been decommissioned in recent months as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) expands the Runaki project, an initiative to provide round-the-clock power that has nearly three million subscribers.