Erbil’s water shortage to see significant improvement with new projects

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In an interview with Kurdistan24, Karash stated, "The governor will soon announce good news regarding the water shortage issue in Erbil neighborhoods. We have two projects slated for implementation next week to address this."

Masoud Karash, Deputy Governor of Erbil, announced that the addition of Ifraz-3 water to the city’s distribution network next week is expected to resolve 75% of Erbil’s water shortage problems.

He explained that the increased water supply from Ifraz-3 will reach up to 48,000 cubic meters. Additionally, two new engines will be installed to facilitate the distribution of water from Ifraz to the network, which is anticipated to solve 75% of the city's water shortage issues.

However, Karash emphasized that completely eradicating the water shortage in Erbil requires a substantial budget, much larger than what is currently available. "The cost of the Erbil water project was $220 million. Thus, the governor's recent visit to Saudi Arabia focused on raising funds for projects amounting to approximately $700 million," he said.

Regarding development projects in Erbil, Karash highlighted that over 300 projects have been implemented, many on the province’s monthly advance. Despite financial challenges, the Kurdistan Regional Government resumed development projects with an initial budget of 28 billion dinars, which later increased to 150 billion dinars. However, due to the financial crisis in 2023, not all projects could be executed, though critical projects like the Banaslawa juxtaposition and Khabat road's second phase have commenced.

Karash noted, "Other types of service projects in Erbil, including those in water supply, education, health, and roads, have been implemented using the provincial budget."

Before 2014, Baghdad allocated budgets for the provinces, but following the budget cuts to the Kurdistan Region, Erbil has had to rely on private funds to address service gaps.