Shafaq News/ The Directorate of Irrigation in Erbil, revealed, onMonday, that drought and low rainfall have damaged dams and the agriculturalsector, announcing plans to mitigate the crisis through several projects.
“The low rainfall has naturally impacted agriculture, as dams andreservoirs depend on seasonal rivers fed by rainfall. While the situation isconcerning, it’s too early to gauge the full extent of the damage, as there arestill four months left in the rainy season,” Rebwar Hussein, Erbil’s IrrigationDirectorate’s director, told Shafaq News.
Hussein pointed out that the lack of rain has affected the agriculturalsector significantly. To address the issue, the directorate plans to channelwater from the Great Zab River to irrigate 80,000 dunams (20,000 acres) offarmland in the Shamamak area.
On flood prevention, Hussein highlighted ongoing measures, includingclearing and widening natural rainwater drainage channels in Erbil and itsoutskirts. “We have demolished improperly constructed bridges that exacerbateflooding and built 15 new bridges over rainwater channels to minimize theimpact of flash floods,” he said.
The directorate is also working on constructing 33 water reservoirs inthe green belt surrounding Erbil, with a combined storage capacity of 18million cubic meters. “Three of these reservoirs are complete, but thefinancial crisis has severely slowed down the progress of other projects,”Hussein noted.
Further efforts include a flood protection channel under construction inErbil for the first time. However, the project has stalled due to financialconstraints and the rainy season.
Another ongoing project involves constructing the "GirdHutyar" channel, which has also been delayed for the same reasons.
“We are also clearing debris and obstructions from the existing waterchannels to improve flow and capacity,” Hussein said.
The Kurdistan Region, like much of Iraq, faces mounting challenges fromclimate change, including water scarcity and seasonal floods.
According to statistics provided by the General Directorate of WaterResources, at least 800 villages are on the brink of evacuation because ofdrought.