ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region officials kicked off the Dwin Dam project on Monday, as part of Erbil’s strategy to combat climate change and water scarcity. “With the completion of this dam, and by restoring and protecting archaeological heritage, this Region will become one of the most important tourist destinations both from natural and historical aspects,” Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said during a speech at the project’s cornerstone laying ceremony. Barzani added that collecting rainwater and underground water sources is a key part of the KRG’s strategy to combat drought and climate change. Barzani also instructed municipality directorates to ensure that all water entering the reservoir is properly filtered. The dam is located near the Dwin Castle about 27 kilometers northwest of Erbil city in the Pirmam district. The local company Senk Group will carry out the project, which local officials expect will boost tourism. According to local legend, the area once belonged to the family of historical Kurdish figure Salahaddin Ayyubi. Barzani ordered authorities to protect archaeological sites from any impact during construction. As the Kurdistan Region increases capacities through infrastructure improvements, rural landowners and farmers are often impacted. “We have decided to adequately compensate those... farmers whose parts of their lands will be submerged,” Barzani said. Kurdistan Region Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Begard Talabani also gave a speech at the event. She said that the KRG’s ninth cabinet is set to complete ten dams with a combined storage capacity of 160 million cubic-meters by the end of the year, adding the previous eight cabinets constructed 14 dams with a total capacity of 50 million cubic-meters. Talabani called the ninth cabinet’s water projects “significant strategic achievements not only for the Kurdistan Region but for the south and center of Iraq as well.” She added that the Gomaspan Dam project is set to complete next month, and is expected to become the third-largest dam in the Region, after the Dukan and Darbandikhan dams. Senk Group is also working on the Gomaspan Dam project, located nearly 35 kilometers northeast of Erbil. Last week, Barzani announced the launch of a massive water project in Erbil to combat water scarcity in the Kurdistan Region. It is estimated to cost around $450 million, according to Mariwan Hakim Hadi, the general director of Erbil municipalities. Residents of several neighborhoods in Erbil were facing water shortages in July, affecting IDP camps in the province as well. Mohammed Hussein, head of the Baharka water directorate, reported on Monday that several wells in Baharka have dried up, with water levels dropping significantly, adding that the depth required to reach water has now reached 550 meters, a decline of 360 meters over the past 27 years. According to the UN, Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable to climate change, including water and food insecurity, facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste mismanagement. 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.
