Kurdish minister will visit Iran after serious water flow reduction to Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A Kurdish official is planning to visit Iran to resolve a water reduction issue across the Kurdistan Region due to the construction of dams in Iran.

One of the rivers in the town of Qaladze in Sulaimani Province recently faced substantial water reduction which flows from Iran.

According to locals, the river is the main source of drinking water and is used for farming which fulfills 80 percent of the local people’s need.

Abdulstar Majid, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, on Monday told reporters the water reduction was due to the Iranian government’s construction of a dam in the Kurdish city of Sardasht in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat).

He mentioned Tehran had plans to construct 10 more water dams on those rivers that flow to the Kurdistan Region from Iran.

According to Majid, Iranian officials promised to solve this issue and allow some of the water to flow to the Region.

“In the coming week, I will visit Iran to discuss this matter with their officials,” he announced.

The Kurdish minister stated the decrease in water to Kurdistan would also affect the level of water distribution to the rest of Iraq because it flows from the Dukan Dam.

“I have talked to the Iraqi Water Resources Minister about this issue,” Majid added. “If Tehran does not open the water, the KRG will also be obliged to close water flow to the rest of Iraq.”

“Decreasing the water that flows to the Kurdistan Region seems more like a political decision,” the Minister said.

Majid explained the KRG had begun creating several water dams in the Kurdistan Region.

He added 80 percent of the dams, with the ability to preserve a significant amount of water, had already been completed.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany