Shafaq News/ Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Saturday implored the Iraqi federal government for cooperation in restoring the region's major dams and developing smaller ones, a move purported to bring substantial benefits to the entire nation.
Barzani's remarks came during a speech he delivered during a ceremony of the "Pastura" dam, situated along the borders of the Erbil governorate.
The construction of the new dam is part of an ambitious scheme to regulate and manage water resources, overseen by the KRG's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.
"Water resource management is paramount to the sustainability and prosperity of Iraq. By rehabilitating our large dams and constructing smaller ones, we are making a commitment to our people and the future generations," Barzani said in his address.
The Pastura dam, a component of the ambitious hydrologic plan, extends over 300 meters at its top and expands to more than 600 meters at its base.
Standing at a height of 30 meters, it has a capacity to store an estimated 20 million cubic meters of water. The dam's construction is projected to span a full year.
The initiation of the Pastura dam project is in line with the plans laid out by the KRG's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, which entail the construction of numerous large and small dams across the region.