Mehreban Salam

Halabja_ Instilling environment awareness in children from a young age helps them build a sustainable relationship with nature throughout their lives. It also develops their empathy for living beings and enhances their sense of individual responsibility, which prepares a generation capable of facing future global environmental challenges.

Practical methods and field activities are among the most effective ways to indroduce children to environmental concepts, rather than relying solely on fear-based messages. Adults can serve as role models daily by rationalizing consumption, turning off unused lights, and using reusable materials. Reading age-appropriate books about animals and nature also helps to reinforce environmental concepts in children.

Protecting the environment requires simple daily habits that prevent pollution and preserve natural resources, most notably reducing the use of single‑use plastics, rationalizing water and energy consumption, and disposing of waste properly.

Tourists do not preserve the environment as required

In this context, Khaylan Abdul Rahman, Director General of Halabja Municipalities, Who has been participating with her teams since the beginning of spring in campaigns to collect tourist waste, said: “We have noticed that environmental protection workers face a heavy burden due to the large tourist turnout in the region, especially in the Noroli area, which has become one of the most prominent tourist destinations this year. Therefore, we wanted to support the environmental protection teams because the area has become very polluted.”

Since April, as she explained,” we have continued awareness campaigns and distributed all the necessary supplies for environmental protection so that tourists do not throw waste into nature. But unfortunately, many of them have not complied with the instructions as they should. For several days, we have been working to clean the Noroli area, and we call upon all visitors to Halabja province to keep all places clean, because this campaign will continue.”

 

Love for the environment from childhood

Khaylan Abdul Rahman called on schools to include environmental programs in the coming year. "I call upon all schools, mothers, and fathers to raise children from a young age to love the environment and keep it clean, and not to allow them to litter. Therefore, it is important for schools to organize intensive awareness campaigns, along with practical training for children."

In homes and workplaces, she affirms that everyone should participate in reducing the heavy burdens borne by environmental protection workers. "We are now continuing to clean the Noroli area, and we are scheduled to head to Hawraman in the coming days. So these activities are ongoing, and every sincere person can contribute to protecting their environment."

Collecting 70 to 100 tons of waste daily

Khaylan Abdul Rahman pointed out that the cleaning campaigns collect between 70 and 100 tons of tourist waste daily, while 355 tons of waste were collected in just one month – huge and dangerous amounts for the environment. "These are very large quantities. Therefore, we call upon citizens to comply with instructions during their trips. Protecting the environment is not only linked to positions or level of awareness; it is linked to an individual's humanity and how they treat the environment. Throwing any kind of waste adds a new burden to environmental protection workers."