Environmental Impact Assessment in Groundwater-Related Projects in the Selected Villages in Duhok City.

Groundwater well development has expanded rapidly in the eastern villages in Duhok city over the past two decades, raising concerns about long-term sustainability, particularly in regions experiencing increasing water scarcity and land-use change. This study examines the interaction between current legal and administrative frameworks, particularly Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations, and groundwater-related projects in the villages of Eminke, Bari Buhar, and Besre in eastern Duhok city. Based on a mixed-methodology, the study provides 19 systematic criteria to assess the effectiveness of the EIA process in both documentation and practice. Groundwater-related projects are classified as Level C, meaning they are exempt from comprehensive assessment and not subject to EIA requirements. Low administrative capacity and inadequate coordination among institutional bodies are identified as primary consequences of neglecting EIA requirements in the pursuit of regulatory compliance. The findings revealed that, although a legal framework for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exists on paper, its practical application remains limited due to insufficient enforcement and limited resources. The results further showed that compliance reached 68% in terms of documentation, while actual practice accounted for only 28.95%. This research concludes that groundwater-related projects necessitate policy reform aimed at strengthening EIA enforcement in water-stressed areas and enhancing institutional coordination among environmental, agricultural, and water resource authorities.