Villagers in Penjwen, Kurdistan region, where in winters temperature drops to minus, with prolonged snowfall blocking traffic, find it difficult to heat their homes as energy prices has skyrocketed.

Khala Mustafa, a Penjwen villager logs trees to prepare for the coming winter said, “I don’t want to cut down trees, but I have no other option, because our country is beautiful with its trees.” Mustafa also complains, “We can’t pay for kerosene [Iraqi government’s subsidized kerosene priced at 100,000 Iraqi Dinars IQD] and that forces us out cut down our tress which we don’t want to, while we seat on large reserves of oil, and they know that Penjwen is a cold place but still they charge us very high, they only subsidize one barrel of kerosene [220 liters] which is not enough to get us through the winter.” 

A barrel of government subsidized white kerosene costs 39,000 IQD in 2021, but now its upped to 103,000 IDQ a threefold increase.

Logging has become the most significant threat to Penjwen’s environment. Hundreds of villagers in the harsh geographies of Penjwen has took to the forests to heat their homes. Many say that the drive for turning to logging is high energy prices. “The reason is the price, a man cannot pay 103,000 IQD for a barrel, and you need at least four barrels until April, we also don’t want to cut down trees, but there is no other way,” a villager told KurdSat English.

Villagers storing logs to heat their homes in the winter 

Penjwen inhabitants refused to purchase government subsidized Kerosene at 103,000 IQD, leading many to call for protecting Penjwen forests. “Some cut them down for their own use, while others log for business, because a load of logs costs around 700,00 IQD, and the tree are cut down randomly,” an activist told KurdSat English.

Penjwen Mayor explained that the government has not replied to their request to give Pnejwen, kerosene at a discount, and says that lack of energy is a big threat to the forests in Penjwen. “Our environment is a valuable national wealth, there are trees aged over hundreds of years but of course if there is no heat, people would be obliged to cut them down.” On protecting the forests, the mayor said, “we would not allow logging, only dead trees and branches of trees are up for grab, however if many people have no option we may not be able to prevent logging, as Penjwen is a large geography that not easy to cover.”

Government distribution of fuels prioritizes colder, mountainous areas like Penjwen, and according to instructions fuel subsidized for winter must be passed out in the previous summer but almost always its withheld until the beginning of winter, leading demand to outpace supply and increase its price. The government’s set price for kerosene is considered a large burden on most families, as per capita income is relatively lower in the agrarian based economies of places like Penjwen.

The Kurdistan region environment faces many challenges, among them water scarcity and degradation, the current high energy crisis adds up to the list, while nothing is done to protect the region’s vegetation.

A forest in Penjwen, Kurdistan region