Prof. Dr.

Azad Mohammed Ameen Kakashekh Naqshbandi

Prof. Dr. Azad Mohammed Ameen Kakashekh Naqshbandi received his B.A. in
Geography Dept. College of Education, University of Baghdad, Iraq 1967 and In
awarded Ph.D. in “Geography of Natural Resources “at the University of Sofia ,
Bulgaria, 1977. Professor Dr. Naqshbandi has been an academician in Iraqi University
(Basrha University) & in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (Salahaddin University -Erbil).
His experience can be surmised as the following: 1968 to 1972 teacher of Geography
in secondary school in Baghdad & Sulaimanya, 1977 to date , giving theoretical in
Geography Dept. to B.A. ,M.A. &Ph.D. students in colleges of Education & Arts at
Basrha University , and college of Arts at Salahaddin- Erbil University, 1977 to 1983
Lecturer of Geography at Basrha University, 1983 to 1991 Assistant Professor of
Geography at Basrha University, 1991 to date, a professor of Geography at
Salahaddin- Erbil University, 1992 to 1994 Head of Geography Dept. College of Arts,
Salahaddin- Erbil University, 1994 to 2004, Dean of College of Arts, Salahaddin-
Erbil University, 1993 to 2005. Member of Higher Education & Scientific Research
Council in Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Supervising (7) Ph.D. students & (22) M.A.
students in Salahaddin- Erbil University & Koya University, Member in many
committees of consultation for M.A. & Ph.D. in Basrha, Baghdad, Salahaddin- Erbil,
Mosul, Dhouk & Koya Universities, Visitor Professor in many Iraqi Universities,
Member in many committees in Basrha & Salahaddin- Erbil Universities.
 Kurdistan Oil and Its Impact on Kurdistan Environment - Overview

Prof. Dr. Azad Mohammad Amin

Kaka Shekh Naqshabandi
University of Salahaddin – Erbil
President of Kurdistan Geographers Society
azad.ameen@mhe-krg.org

Kurdistan region of Iraq with more than 45 billion barrels of reserved oil and 200
trillion cubic feet of reserved natural gas is considered as one of the richest area with
oil and gas in the world. After 2003 specially after the approval of the Iraqi
constitution and issuance of the law of oil and gas from the Kurdistan Parliament, the
Kurdistan regional government (KRG) gave the territory of the patent to extract oil for
many international companies and a part of these companies actually started to
produce oil for example DNO and GENEL that started production of oil from
Tawke field, Genel Energy and Addax from Taq Taq field, Gulf Keystone from
Shaikan field and KAR Oil & Gas from Khurmala field. The industry in general and
oil industries in particular are activities that negatively affect the environment and
cause various environmental problems. Oil consists of at least (300) different
chemicals, most of them negatively affecting the health or living organisms. Direct
effects that caused by activities related to the oil industry, (search and exploration, oil
extraction, oil transportation and oil refining), can be summarized in polluting the
environment of Kurdistan, negative change of natural Landscape and Exhaustion of
Kurdistan natural resources. The activities related to the oil industry cause pollution of
the environment of Kurdistan as a result of (i) chemicals used in oil extraction, (ii) oil
that is spilled on land, (iii) The combustion of crude oil which leads to emission of
many highly toxic gases and release of some toxic metal elements and (iiii) Pollution
from oil transport accidents of crude oil by pipelines and oil tankers.