New dam to harvest Iranian floodwaters in Diyala

Shafaq News / On Friday, a local official in Diyala reported the decision to construct a storage dam on the outskirts of Mandali district, eastern Diyala, to harness the floodwaters coming from Iran.

Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Machinery Department at the Ministry of Water Resources in Diyala, informed Shafaq News Agency that "the dam will revive five agricultural villages and provide water for the Mandali Water Project, in addition to irrigating the orchards."

Ibrahim further stated that "the approval for the dam was made in coordination with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and relevant authorities to address water scarcity issues and make use of the revenues generated from the floods originating from the Iranian borders." He highlighted that "the approval for the dam was based on a comprehensive field study and mapping of the project."

Meanwhile, activist Omar Al-Mandlawi revealed plans for a comprehensive proposal to establish a second storage dam in Wadi Tarsaq, on the outskirts of Qazaniya sub-district. The purpose of this dam is to store floodwaters and revitalize several agricultural villages between Mandali and Qazaniya. Al-Mandlawi emphasized that proposals and projects are being developed to address drought and drinking water crises in Mandali.

The border areas of Diyala, particularly Qazaniya sub-district (110 km east of Baqubah) and Mandali sub-district (90 km east of Baqubah), face annual influxes of floods originating from Iran during the winter and spring seasons.

During the previous winter, the Iranian side altered the paths of the floods, redirecting them away from Iraqi territory due to water shortages in certain Iranian border areas, according to officials from that country. However, during the last winter season, the floods returned to flow, marking a precedent unseen in eastern Diyala for the past three seasons.