Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of hydrocarbon Exploration ‎Well, Garmian, Kurdistan Region- Iraq

The study encompassed a detailed description of existing environmental ‎and ‎social baseline conditions based on conducted surveys, scoping of the anticipated ‎impacts, and description of the most significant ‎adverse impacts during ‎well construction and operations. The study area is part of ‎the Zagros Fold ‎Thrust Belt and represents the Low Folded Thrust Zone. ‎Vegetation cover in the ‎area is limited to the typically thin cover of native grasses and ‎herbaceous species. ‎

Field surveys for the project area identified 66 taxa that were observed in this ‎study. The ‎area lies within ‎the edge of an important flyway for birds, with at least 68 species ‎documented, ‎including residents and several migratory species. ‎

The potential impacts of the project on the environment and their significance ‎were assessed before the project development. The primary ‎environmental and social concerns associated ‎with hydrocarbon exploration in the ‎area were: Loss of ‎pasture for livestock, grassland steppe ‎habitat for ‎wildlife and displacement of ‎wildlife, and loss of productivity on ‎cultivated lands.‎ We found that the ‎impacts associated ‎with the project are; the risk of ‎wildlife mortality and displacement, human activity, exposure ‎to contaminants and ‎hazardous substances, the ‎potential for spills, produced water and drill cuttings, ‎and emissions including ‎dust and noise;‎ risks to ‎groundwater as a result of drilling ‎and waste management practices, ‎potential reduction in local water ‎resources as a ‎result of water withdrawals, increased traffic safety risk: and ‎impacts to socio-‎economic ‎and cultural well-being and cumulative effects, particularly where a ‎discovery is made.