On Thursday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior announced they would begin to penalize littering.

“Protecting Kurdistan’s environment and natural beauty is a public asset belonging to the country and its people. Its protection is a national, moral, and human duty. No one has the right to pollute it or escape accountability,” the Ministry said.

Often, tourists and picnickers leave behind trash.

The Ministry said that anyone who litters will be fined no less than 100,000 Iraqi dinars and no more than 10,000,000 Iraqi dinars. Police institutions will assist in enforcing these penalties.

The KRG Ministry of Interior regulations say that during trips and outings, citizens should treat Kurdistan’s beautiful and colorful nature as their own home and avoid polluting it by leaving behind waste and garbage. 

The KRG also called on citizens to record anyone seen polluting the environment or harming nature, and send the evidence to the relevant platforms, the Ministry of Interior, or police institutions so that legal action can be taken.

In 2024, at a conference on the climate, in a response to a question from Kurdistan Chronicle, KRG Prime Minister Barzani urged “all citizens of Kurdistan to treat our natural surroundings as they would their own homes, refraining from littering. This land is our homeland, and it is incumbent upon us to preserve it for generations to come.

In September 2025, during a two-day visit to the Duhok Governorate, Prime Minister Barzani also underlined the importance of environmental protection.

“Unfortunately, I saw a lot of litter thrown on the streets, which does not fit with our culture. I urge the people of Kurdistan to protect their environment and their homeland. Kurdistan is our great common home, and protecting it is the duty of us all.

“I also call on tourists visiting here to be guided on preserving the air and environment of Kurdistan. Authorities must enforce rules and impose penalties on those who pollute, because it is unacceptable for this sacred land, watered with the blood of our martyrs, to be desecrated.”