More than 2,500 dunams (2.5 square-kilometers) of cropland have been destroyed by burning this season in Erbil governorate alone and officials are warning residents and farmers to take precautions to protect their harvests in the Kurdistan Region. 

“From the start of this year until now, 2,513 dunams of land planted with wheat and barley in Erbil province have burned,” Shaxawan Jaff, spokesperson of the Erbil civil defense directorate told Rudaw on Sunday.

Of the agricultural land burned in the province, 2,282 dunams were planted with wheat and 231 with barley.

“If each dunam produces an average 600 to 700 kilograms of wheat and barley crops, then more than 1.5 million kilograms (1,500 metric tons) … have been burned and destroyed,” Talaat Mohammed Botani, a geography instructor at the University of Raparin, told Rudaw. 

According to the directorate, 407 fire incidents have occurred so far this year in Erbil governorate, causing the deaths of 19 people.

Fires are common in the Kurdistan Region during summertime. Some are caused by human activity and others by the scorching weather with daily temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius. Burning stubble and brush is a common practice by farmers to clear their fields of weeds and shrubs.

In Kirkuk’s Pirde subdistrict, flames got out of control after people set brush on fire. 

Abdulmutalib Najmadin, mayor of the subdistrict, told Rudaw that “the fire started due to burning remains of harvested grain.”

He said that they have warned citizens not to set fire to the dry grass, but their instructions were ignored.

The Kurdistan Region civil defense directorate issued safety instructions on Thursday for the summer season, including a prohibition on the burning of crop residue by farmers, emphasizing that violators will face legal action.

Agriculture in the Kurdistan Region, especially in the Erbil Plains, and elsewhere across Iraq and the disputed areas is a vitally important source of livelihood that fuels the local economy. Many farmers sell their harvests locally or to traders in Iraq and neighboring countries.

Source - https://www.rudaw.net