Iran to restore water flow into Kurdistan’s Zab River

Iranian authorities have reportedly decided to restore the flow of the shared waterway they cut earlier this week.

Baxtiyar Goran 2017/07/03 14:28

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Agriculture reported that Iranian authorities have decided to restore the flow of the shared waterway they cut earlier this week.

The KRG's Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Abdulstar Majid told Kurdistan24 on Monday that Iran has decided to allow once again water to flow through the Little Zab [Lower Zab] River in the Kurdistan Region.

Majid said that “Iranian officials have promised us they will restore the water flow into the Little Zab River today.”

Zab river 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.

Previously, Majid 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.

The Kurdish minister also 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.