Spatial analysis of the cement industry in Al-Muthanna Governorate: An analytical study

Abstract

Industry is regarded as a fundamental pillar of a state’s civilization and an important indicator of its level of development or underdevelopment. It ensures the production of goods and services and the utilization of material and human resources to meet the needs of society in the areas of production, consumption, and employment. It is also considered a driving sector for development plans, particularly in developing countries. There are three cement factories in Al-Muthanna Governorate: the Samawah Cement Plant, established in 1956 with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons, which was later expanded to produce approximately 1.4 million tons annually; the New Al-Muthanna Cement Plant, established in 1980 with an annual production capacity of 2 million tons; and the Saman Cement Plant, owned by the private sector, established in 2014 with a production capacity of 5,000 tons per month. The study aimed to examine the reality of the cement industry in Al-Muthanna Governorate and identify developmental approaches for advancing this industry. To achieve its objectives, the study employed the analytical and foundational approaches. The study reached several conclusions, most notably that Al-Muthanna Governorate possesses geographical and economic resources that enable it to establish various industries, particularly the cement industry, which requires raw materials that are available in the Al-Muthanna Desert. Furthermore, the governorate has three cement plants: the Samawah Cement Plant, the New Al-Muthanna Cement Plant, and the privately owned Saman Cement Plant. The study also put forward several recommendations, foremost among them the need to conduct a comprehensive survey of the natural and economic raw materials available in Al-Muthanna Governorate, as well as to determine their locations and quantities, given that they constitute a fundamental factor in the cement industry in the region.