The refinery, located within the North Oil Company’s land near the Erbil road, is operating round-the-clock and producing 12,000 barrels daily of refined premium-grade gasoline, as well as LPG.
Residents of Sekaniyan, Gurgachal, and Shorawa have complained about the pollution, demanding that authorities enact a quick solution.
“This smoke comes into our houses. When we turn on the air conditioning, the smoke comes inside with the air,” Bahjat Ali, a resident of Sekaniyan, told Rudaw.
James Gorgees, another Sekaniyan resident, lamented that they have trouble sleeping due to the pollution, forcing them to close the windows and doors due to the odor.
“We die from the heat inside,” Gorgees said.
The Sekaniyan village chieftain has filed complaints with Kirkuk province’s authorities, hoping that a solution will be found.
“Hopefully it will be resolved,” said Dana Ghazi, the chieftain, adding that residents have warned that they will block the roads if a solution is not reached.
Shwan Aziz, the director of the refinery, said that the smoke and odor will soon disappear.
“That smoke is because the storage facility we set up for our gas was not suitable, so we were forced to burn the gas, which created that smell. When the storage is fixed, we will store the gas, and that smell will disappear,” Aziz said.
The gasoline produced from the refinery has an octane rating of 92 percent and is delivered to Kirkuk’s gas stations. Previously, the province would import gasoline and LPG from Karbala and Baiji.
