ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Erbil Rapid Water Emergency Project, designed to address chronic water shortages in the city, is nearing completion, the project supervisor said on Saturday.
“The Erbil Rapid Water Emergency Project has the capacity to provide 20,000 cubic meters of water per hour to Erbil, which covers 60 percent of Erbil's water needs, with the other 40% being provided through the three Ifraz projects,” project supervisor Hemen Nazif told Rudaw on Saturday.
“By the end of June or beginning of July, water from the first pipeline of the project will reach the neighborhoods of Hashti Hasarok, Daratu, Qatawi, Bnaslawa, Baghulmunara, and Zhiyan," he added.
According to Nazif, the entire project, with a budget of approximately $480 million, will be completed by the end of this year.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani laid the foundation stone for the project in September.
Water scarcity affects Erbil every year, especially in neighborhoods located in the east of the city.
The World Resources Institute has listed Iraq among the 25 countries facing extreme water stress. It is using over 80 percent of its available supply of water and is at risk of running out in case of any short-term drought.
Iraq’s water shortages are caused by reduced rainfall, rising temperatures, mismanagement, and upstream dams on rivers shared with Turkey and Iran.
With the exception of Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region’s provinces have seen less rain this year than the previous year, according to information obtained by Rudaw.
Soran Hussein contributed to this report.
