KRG announces major project in Erbil to combat water scarcity

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday announced the launch of a massive water project in Erbil, aiming at combating the water scarcity issue that has the Region’s capital city in a chokehold.

“In the past two years, following the coronavirus pandemic, and despite all the problems, obstacles, and the dire economic situation, I assigned the relevant institution to find a way out of this [water scarcity] problem as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Barzani said during a speech at the launch event in Erbil.

Barzani said that a foreign company was assigned to implement the project, however, the company “did not take practical steps to implement the project,” prompting the prime minister to launch the project.

“In the last step I decided that this issue will no longer be delayed, and I asked for the launch of the current project as an emergency to resolve the water scarcity issue in the capital city,” Barzani said.

Water scarcity affects Erbil every year, especially in neighborhoods located east of the city.

Prime Minister Barzani stated that the current project will resolve the water scarcity issue in Erbil for the next 30 years, adding that he also issued directives to fix the domestic water pipeline network in the city.

The project costs approximately $450 million, according to Mariwan Hakim Hadi, the general director of Erbil municipalities.

“The Erbil water project is being built on the Greater Zab River at a cost of approximately $450 million, aiming to fundamentally solve the water crisis in Erbil Governorate,” Hadi told Rudaw on Saturday.

The project can refine about 20,000 cubic meters of water per hour, according to Hadi, who said that the current volume in all of Erbil’s water plants and wells is around 18,000 cubic meters per hour. It also stores up to 300,000 cubic meters of water.

“A portion of the project has been completed, and it is expected that the entire project will be finished in approximately one year,” Hadi said.

Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable to climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste mismanagement.

Scorching temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius were recorded in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in 2023, coupled with water scarcity, desertification, and reduced rainfall.

The World Resources Institute places Iraq among 25 countries that face extreme water stress, meaning that it is using over 80 percent of its available supply of water and is at risk of running out of water in case of any short-term drought.

KRG announces major project in Erbil to combat water scarcity

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