ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Rising water levels in the Little Zab River have washed away part of a makeshift bridge in the Chami Khas area of Pishdar district in Sulaimani province, leaving residents of more than 15 villages in the foothills of Mount Asos facing severe transportation difficulties.
Locals told Rudaw the recent heavy rain in the area caused significant rise in the river’s water level, which swept away the pipe culverts and the concrete structure of the bridge, which for years had connected villages on both sides of the river to the town of Qaladze.
The structure had been repeatedly renovated by locals, but it could not withstand the recent surge in water levels.
The collapse has effectively cut off a vital route used daily by villagers for work, education, and access to essential services.
Villagers say that what was once a 15-minute journey has now become a dangerous ordeal or a trip of more than an hour via the distant Ranya strait bridge.
Watman Hussein, a livestock farmer from Qaladze whose livelihood depends on the area across the river, said he is now forced to risk his life to tend to his animals. To deliver fodder to his calves, he crosses the fast-flowing river in a small boat.
“Several villages are located here, and all of them are inhabited; they aren’t deserted. They are populated year-round, both summer and winter. There are residents here, there are students, and people who work and make a living here; for example, there are fish ponds and livestock. I mean, their entire livelihood depends on this [bridge],” Hussein said.
Others say the financial burden of the collapse is adding to existing hardship. Hussein Rasul, a watchman at nearby fish farms, said every crossing now comes at a cost many cannot afford.
“I have work to do, I have to go across and come back, and every trip costs 1,000 or 2,000 dinars ($0.75 - $1.30), and the people are poor, honestly. I hope they come to our aid quickly and repair this bridge for us,” he said.
Administratively, the villages in the foothills of Mount Asos fall under the Dukan district, but residents say their economic and daily lives are closely tied to Pishdar district and the town of Qaladze.
With the Little Zab now acting as a barrier, villagers are calling on authorities to urgently reopen the route and construct a permanent bridge to prevent future isolation.
The river flowing from Iran into the Kurdistan Region’s Dukan Dam has recorded significantly higher water levels this year due to heavy rainfall, contributing to a sharp rise in water levels at the climate change–affected Dukan Dam, Iraq’s second-largest dam after the Mosul Dam.
