Iraq, Kurdistan warn of floods in multiple provinces as water level rises

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi authorities on Saturday warned the country of possible floods in seven provinces along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers as water levels caused by relentless heavy rainfall are rising.

The Mosul Dam administration, the largest dam in Iraq located in Nineveh Province, is preparing to open the dam’s floodgates as its storage capacity has reached its limits, local authorities warned, which could cause floods.

The Iraqi government’s crisis office extended the warning to seven provinces, stating the water levels had risen not only as a result of the unusually rainy season but also due to an increased flow of water coming from neighboring Turkey and Iran.

Jamal al-Adili, the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, stated that Basra and Wasit were among the provinces most at risk of severe floods.

He also mentioned that some bodies of water that had been dry for years were now full of water and could lead to the blockage of local roads.

Heavy rainfall over the past few months has affected many provinces in the autonomous Kurdistan Region and Iraq, damaging bridges, roads, and properties.

On Saturday evening, local Kurdish authorities declared Sunday a holiday for schools in the Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja provinces because of possible floods.

Editing by Nadia Riva