Warrar regulator closure spark environmental damage in Al-Anbar

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar/ Diyala

The five-year closure of the Warrar regulator has caused significant environmental and economic damage to Habbaniyah Lake in Al-Anbar province, western Iraq, a water expert warned on Monday.

Environmental and water affairs specialist Samim Salam told Shafaq News that the closure worsened the crisis and caused widespread harm to the agricultural security and the tourism sector, adding that the situation triggered environmental migration and displacement in several areas south of Ramadi and villages around the lake basin, where residents face severe water scarcity. He pointed to economic damage, noting that many residents who depend on fishing lost their livelihoods, forcing them to seek alternative, often labor-intensive work.

According to Salam, the Warrar regulator reopen is key to reviving Habbaniyah Lake, secure water supplies for residents and livestock, and prevent further displacement and social consequences.

In Diyala, Director of Water Resources Muhannad Al-Mamouri said recent rainfall significantly improved water availability across the province, clarifying that rainfall reached 30 mm, providing full irrigation for crops, particularly wheat.

“Heavy rainfall filled the Alwand Dam in Khanaqin, which has a capacity of 38 million cubic meters, as well as the Mandali Dam, a rainwater harvesting facility with a capacity of 3 million cubic meters. Additionally, Al-Azim Dam exceeded 50% of its 1.6 billion cubic meter capacity,” he indicated.

He also said that Hamrin Lake, the largest water reservoir in Diyala, surpassed 50% of its storage capacity of more than 2.5 billion cubic meters, adding that the rainfall significantly strengthened the province’s water situation and that there remains capacity to receive controlled inflows from Darbandikhan Dam in Al-Sulaymaniyah.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues