Drought hits Erbil's dams and agriculture, authorities scramble to respond

Shafaq News/ The Directorate of Irrigation in Erbil, revealed, on Monday, that drought and low rainfall have damaged dams and the agricultural sector, announcing plans to mitigate the crisis through several projects.

“The low rainfall has naturally impacted agriculture, as dams and reservoirs depend on seasonal rivers fed by rainfall. While the situation is concerning, it’s too early to gauge the full extent of the damage, as there are still four months left in the rainy season,” Rebwar Hussein, Erbil’s Irrigation Directorate’s director, told Shafaq News.

Hussein pointed out that the lack of rain has affected the agricultural sector significantly. To address the issue, the directorate plans to channel water from the Great Zab River to irrigate 80,000 dunams (20,000 acres) of farmland in the Shamamak area.

On flood prevention, Hussein highlighted ongoing measures, including clearing and widening natural rainwater drainage channels in Erbil and its outskirts. “We have demolished improperly constructed bridges that exacerbate flooding and built 15 new bridges over rainwater channels to minimize the impact of flash floods,” he said.

The directorate is also working on constructing 33 water reservoirs in the green belt surrounding Erbil, with a combined storage capacity of 18 million cubic meters. “Three of these reservoirs are complete, but the financial crisis has severely slowed down the progress of other projects,” Hussein noted.

Further efforts include a flood protection channel under construction in Erbil for the first time. However, the project has stalled due to financial constraints and the rainy season.

Another ongoing project involves constructing the "Gird Hutyar" channel, which has also been delayed for the same reasons.

“We are also clearing debris and obstructions from the existing water channels to improve flow and capacity,” Hussein said.

The Kurdistan Region, like much of Iraq, faces mounting challenges from climate change, including water scarcity and seasonal floods.

According to statistics provided by the General Directorate of Water Resources, at least 800 villages are on the brink of evacuation because of drought.