The Iraqi capital Baghdad is gradually turning into a slum city, local authorities are forced to state. According to the country's Ministry of Planning, a quarter of all residential areas of spontaneous development are located in Baghdad.
In total, 4 thousand houses belonging to self-construction were counted in Iraq, where more than three million people live. In Baghdad, 1073 such illegal buildings have appeared in recent years, next in the "slum rating" are the provinces of Basra and Ninawa with 700 units of spontaneous development, 89 more such buildings were found in Najaf.
According to the official representative of the ministry, Abdel Zahra al-Hindawi, "these slums are growing rapidly, often arising in the very center of cities or on their outskirts," while there is no proper infrastructure, and living conditions for people are far from satisfactory. The high crime situation complements the picture of such areas.
As the population grew, Iraq faced an acute housing shortage. The construction of new residential blocks has not kept pace with the growing needs of society. Moreover, people with low incomes cannot afford to buy an apartment or land for development and are forced to settle in slums that are poorly adapted for a normal life.
According to the agency, in order to at least partially solve the problem of slums, it is urgently necessary to build at least three million housing units.
Participants discussed the boundary between nature and ecotourism, whether mass visits to unique areas can remain safe, the responsibilities of investors, and how to prepare tourists for visiting specially protected natural areas.
The head of state expressed confidence that the Forum will be held at a high level, and that its results will contribute to the development of tourism in Russia and the expansion of humanitarian and business ties.
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