Shafaq News- Nineveh

Several major water plants in Nineveh temporarily resumed operations following a precautionary shutdown over oil pollution in the Tigris River but were scheduled to close again, Water Directorate Head Muayyad Sadiq Elias told Shafaq News.

The renewed shutdown was expected to last until the contamination cleared and water safety was confirmed.

The Tigris oil leak resulted from a test run of the strategic crude oil pipeline linking Kirkuk to Turkiye, according to Nineveh Environment Director Abdul Moneim Darrar.

Earlier this month, the Saladin Water Directorate also suspended operations at the Tikrit water project after detecting an oil slick near its intake. The shutdown followed an inspection by directorate head Ahmed Ali Abdullah, who ordered the facility's temporary closure pending technical and laboratory tests in coordination with relevant authorities.

Separately, recurring oil seepage has been reported farther downstream in Saladin, including near Al-Maslakhah and Al-Salihiyah villages and in valleys east of Al-Fatha between the Hamrin and Makhoul oil fields.

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