Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Residents of the Tafga area in Al-Sulaymaniyah province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on Monday, called on the local government and relevant authorities to address shortages in basic services, warning that their difficulties could worsen as winter approaches, particularly over water supplies, roads, and heating fuel.

Hoshyar Salam, a resident, told Shafaq News that more than 1,000 families live in Tafga but continue to face major shortages in basic services, particularly water and roads. “Water is supplied to the area only once a week, for no more than one or two hours for some households,” he added, noting that a recent fuel shortage affecting water tankers had compounded the problem, forcing residents to pay between 35,000 and 40,000 Iraqi dinars for a single tanker, while families are also facing financial difficulties and delays in salary payments.

Another resident, Dilshad Aziz, told Shafaq News that the problems extend beyond water, with roads also in poor condition. He warned that the approaching rainy season could make school commutes and daily travel a major challenge for residents.

Aziz said the government had distributed the land in Tafga to residents and that it was not illegally occupied or designated as agricultural land, arguing that “residents therefore have the right to basic municipal services, as do residents of other neighborhoods in Al-Sulaymaniyah.”