Environment

Kurdistan capital hosts conference on water management, pollution

Besides discussions on the water situation, the program also includes an art exhibition and a music event at the Erbil Citadel to raise awareness about protecting water sources.

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/10/29 13:15

Academics, government officials, civil society members discussing water pollution and management in Iraq and Kurdistan Region, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/KRG)

Iraq Water Clean Tigris Germany Krg Begard Talabani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials, environmental groups, and academics came together Friday morning in Erbil to discuss the current state of water resources in Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish region and challenges caused by pollution.

Along with the German Consul-General to Erbil, the KRG Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Begard Talabani, the head of Environment Board, Abdul Rahman Sidiq, attended and delivered remarks at the event.

Photos are displayed at Clean Tigris art exhibition in the Kurdistan Region's capital Erbil, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/Facebook) — Photos are displayed at the Clean Tigris art exhibition in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/Facebook)

Panels will be held to discuss the threats of climate change on Iraq’s vital water resources, namely the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, Ramy Siryani, one of the event’s coordinators, told Kurdistan 24 on Friday.

The art exhibition in which photos of lakes, rivers, and ponds in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq are displayed, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/Facebook) — The Clean Tigris art exhibition in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil, showcasing photos of lakes, rivers, and ponds in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, is displayed on Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/Facebook)

The one-day conference dubbed Water for Future is part of projects run by “Clean Tigris” to work on improving water conditions and combating its pollution. The program was launched in early 2020 and is expected to end in December 2021.

In cooperation with German elbarlament-cultures of democracy and funded by the ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) programme “zivik” with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office.

The effects of climate change, record low rainfall, and upstream dams restricting water flow have all combined to dwindle water levels in the region to less than 25 percent of its capacity in years prior, Minister Talabani said in her speech.

Pictures of natural wonders in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are displayed, Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/Facebook) — The Clean Tigris art exhibition in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil showcases photos of natural wonders in Iraq and the Kurdish region. Oct. 28, 2021. (Photo: Clean Tigris/Facebook)

Besides discussions on the water situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the program also includes an art exhibition and a music event at the Erbil Citadel to raise awareness about protecting Kurdistan’s precious water sources.