Environment

KRG loses 340 million Iraqi dinars daily as a result of wasted drinking water: Ministry

While the ministry did not specify how drinking water is being misused, local authorities usually blame citizens who use large quantities of drinkable water to wash their vehicles and doorways.

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/09/28 11:14

Water borehole equipment is pictured while drilling a well in Erbil's Badawa neighborhood, August 14, 2021. (Photo: Rebaz Siyan/Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Water Drought Krg Kurdistan Region Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Every day, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) loses about 340 million Iraqi dinars (approximately $230,000) due to the misuse of drinking water it provides its citizens, according to official figures from the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism.

While the ministry did not specify how drinking water is being misused, local authorities usually blame citizens who use large quantities of drinkable water for washing their vehicles and doorways. Use of potable water for such purposes was prohibited by the KRG as the region endured a harsh drought over the summer.

Each month, the KRG produces more than 70 million cubic meters of potable water for residents, according to an informational video released by the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism on Monday.

Increasingly hotter summers coupled with the looming threat of climate change have forced the KRG and local authorities to dig more wells to reduce water shortages various neighborhoods in Erbil have faced.

The Region relies on the Great and Little Zab rivers as water sources as well as wells and dams.

Over 468,600 cubic meters of drinking water are produced by the KRG daily, according to the ministry.

Although three water treatment plants built on the banks of the Great Zab River have provided Erbil residents with sufficient water, this year's drought is forcing authorities to speed up their plans to build a fourth.