Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry increased water releases into Lake Habbaniyah to 40 cubic meters per second to replenish the lake and improve water quality, the ministry said on Sunday.

The measure, ordered by Water Resources Minister Muthanna Al-Tamimi, also aims to preserve the lake’s ecological balance and provide sustainable water supplies to villages and communities along its shores.

In July, Habbaniyah Tourist City Director Moayad Al-Mashouh told Shafaq News that the city needed a sustained release of one billion cubic meters of water to restore normal activity, while the lake required 3.5 billion cubic meters to return to its previous condition.

Lake Habbaniyah, located between Ramadi and Fallujah in western Iraq’s Al-Anbar province, covers about 701 square kilometers. Created in the 1950s, it became a major domestic tourism destination, attracting thousands of families to its resort complex. After 2003, deteriorating security, poor public services and neglect damaged its tourism infrastructure and reduced its appeal to investors.

Read more: Rehabilitation plan to revive Al-Habbaniyah Tourist City in Iraq’s Al-Anbar