Until recently, the air quality in Fallujah ranked among the worst in Iraq. But thanks to a bold new plan implemented by the US military, residents of this central Iraqi city are now enjoying plenty of fresh air--and breathing a deep sigh of relief.
Environmentalists hail innovative 'green zone'
By Elke Drumfeld
Middle East correspondent
Editor's note: Read about Iraq in the New York Times or the Washington Post and you're likely to get a daily dose of bombings, assassinations, and prisoner abuse scandals. But what about all of the good things happening in the fledgling democracy? In this Swift Report occasional series, we turn our backs on all of the negativity in the 'MSM' and focus on what's good. In this story, reported by our Middle East correspondent Elke Drumfeld, we take a look at Fallujah's emergence as an unlikely environmental triumph.
FALLUJAH, Iraq—Not long ago, this city of 300,000 in west central Iraq was a typical Middle Eastern metropolis: a dense network of residences, businesses and mosques, all obscured by a deadly haze of pollution. In fact, the air quality was so poor here that the local office of environmental affairs routinely issued its most stringent warning: 'do not play outside.'
But thanks to a new initiative implemented by the US military, Fallujah has quickly become the greenest city in all of Iraq, if not the entire Middle East. The warren of downtown streets, once choked by the exhaust fumes of thousands of trucks, cars, and motorbikes, is now limited to buses, foot traffic, and donkeys. Environmentalists are applauding the effort—and Fallujans are already breathing a deep sigh of relief.
"This is a model of how with a little planning and a willingness to think outside the box, you can take an area that was among the most polluted and clean it up, practically overnight," says Shelden Barnard, an advisor to the Iraqi environmental group, Citizens for a Clean Iraq, a grassroots advocacy group that encourages Iraqis to consume fewer petroleum-based fuels. "I just wish we could get something like this going in the US," says Barnard, who recently relocated from San Francisco to Fallujah.
A green zone
It's the kind of urban vision that environmentalists have only been able to dream about: a dense urban core in which foul-smelling exhaust has been banished. Now, that dream is a reality in Fallujah. Residents travel on environmentally friendly buses as they make their way into town from citizen processing centers, where their identities are confirmed through DNA testing and retinal scans. And to make sure the improved air quality isn't just a temporary phenomena, the US military went one step further: permanently banning cars from central Fallujah.
"This is a step towards creating a truly healthy, livable city," said Phoenix Hassan, a member of Critical Mass Fallujah, an activist cycling organization. "For years we've been in need of innovative solutions that will cut down the congestion and pollution from cars. This is an exciting start."
According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO), emissions from car exhausts are responsible for more deaths than road accidents. A recent WHO study looked at data from Austria, France, and Switzerland and determined that exposure to pollution caused an estimated 21,000 deaths a year in the three countries. In addition, the researchers calculated that car fumes caused 300,000 cases of bronchitis in children and 15,000 extra hospital admissions for heart disease made worse by pollution.
A blow against sprawl
Environmentalists are even more excited about a proposed US military initiative that they say could mark a decisive blow in the war against sprawl. Instead of commuting to jobs on the outskirts of town, or traveling by car to distant Fallujan suburbs, residents here will be working much closer to where they live. Many citizens, say proponents of the plan, will be able to walk to work.
Under the plan, still being debated by top Marine leadership, all male residents of Fallujah will be required to work in military-style battalions. Depending upon their skill sets, they could be assigned jobs in construction, rubble-clearing, or waterworks. And to confirm that "operation no more sprawl" is working, the military has implemented a novel testing mechanism: residents will be assigned badges with their home addresses that they must wear at all times.
"If you think about the definition of sprawl, it's the inability to participate in community life because you live and work in two different places," says Aisha Meslem, coordinator for the citzens' group Livable Fallujah. "As development moves to the outskirts of Fallujah, particularly with the arrival of many big box stores, people are spending more and more time in their cars."
A deep breath
But while all of these ideas may sound good on paper, many ordinary Fallujah residents are holding their breath until they detect real changes in the air around them. For six-year-old Ammar Jarrar, that day will come when he is able to play outside again, without fear of being struck dead by deadly car exhaust.
"It was so bad here before," says Jarrar. "We couldn't go outside for a long time."
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