Kurdistan's major dams experience surge in water levels

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Water levels at two of Kurdistan Region’s key dams have significantly improved this year compared to 2023, officials said on Tuesday.

Farhad Mohammed, director of Duhok Dam, told Rudaw that the dam contains 40 million cubic meters of water, adding that the level of water has “doubled” compared to last year.

The dam, built in 1988, has a total capacity of 52 million cubic meters.

Kochar Jamal, director of Dukan Dam, said that the reservoir currently holds 35 percent of its total water capacity.

“This year, the dam is in a better condition compared to last year,” he added, referring to the surge in water levels.

Dukan Dam, constructed in 1959, has a capacity of seven billion cubic meters.

There are three large dams and 20 small and medium-sized dams in the Kurdistan Region. The three largest dams: Dukan, Darbandikhan, and Duhok have a combined capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of water.

In September, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani kicked off the Dwin Dam project, about 27 kilometers northwest of Erbil city, as part of the province’s strategy to combat climate change and water scarcity. At the project’s cornerstone laying ceremony, Kurdistan Region Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Begard Talabani said that the KRG’s ninth cabinet is set to complete ten dams with a combined storage capacity of 160 million cubic meters by the end of the year.

Iraq’s water resources ministry is planning to build more than 35 dams across the country in 2024 in an attempt to combat worsening drought and water scarcity. A spokesperson for the ministry said last August that Iraq’s water reserves are at the lowest in the country’s history.

According to the UN, Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable to climate change, including water and food insecurity, facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste mismanagement.

The World Resources Institute places Iraq among 25 countries that face extreme water stress, meaning that it is using over 80 percent of its available supply of water and is at risk of running out of water in case of any short-term drought.