Shafaq News/ A government official in Saladin Governorate revealed, on Wednesday, that it will soon start building a giant dam on the Tigris River that will save two-thirds of Iraq from drought, but will cause the displacement of thousands of families.

The director of Al-Zawiya district, north of Baiji district, Muhammad Zaidan, told Shafaq News agency that a specialized team has conducted a site exploration for the "Makhoul Dam" project, to be established within the areas extending on the outskirts of Al-Zawiya and the borders of Al-Shirqat district, north of Saladin, as well as areas of Al-Hawija district in the southwest of Kirkuk.

Zidan indicated that "Makhoul Dam" project was approved in 2001 by the previous regime and has been postponed since then, noting that the Iraqi government approved the construction of the dam to preserve the Tigris River from drought, and as a result of the "water war policy" practiced by neighboring countries, including Turkey, pointing that, "the Makhoul Dam will save two-thirds of Iraq from drought, and preserve Iraq's sovereignty from Turkish threats".

"The dam project has become inevitable after the Euphrates turned into a tributary due to its low levels", noting that, "the dam will reach 3227 meters and a storage capacity of more than 3 billion cubic meters, and it will extend from the outskirts of the Al-Zawiya district to the north of Al-Shirqat down to Al-Abbasi and Al-Zab areas of Al-Hawija district", Zaidan confirmed.

The director of Al-Zawiya confirmed that the dam project will displace 6018 families from the village of Al-Mashak in Al-Zawiya district, along with thousands of other families in the outskirts of Al-Shirqat and Al-Zab and Al-Abbasi districts, adding that the former regime provided these families with low compensations that do not match the size of the damage they experienced.

Zaidan called on the Iraqi government to compensate the families that will be fairly damaged.

Iraq has been suffering from low water levels in the rivers, especially the Tigris and Euphrates, for years, due to the lack of rain in the winter season, in addition to Turkey establishing new dam projects on the river.