PM Barzani to Inaugurate Duhok's Sarhildan Park, Fulfilling Pledge in Region-Wide Greening Push

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a powerful symbol of the Kurdistan Regional Government's sustained commitment to enhancing urban livability and fulfilling its development pledges, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani is set to inaugurate the new Sarhildan Park in Duhok this afternoon. The sprawling public green space, constructed at a cost of over four billion dinars, represents a significant public service achievement for the city and a tangible outcome of a broader, strategic vision championed by the Prime Minister to fundamentally improve the region's urban planning and environmental health through a series of ambitious greening initiatives.

The inauguration, scheduled for 3:00 PM on Saturday, marks the successful completion of a key project whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Barzani just over a year ago, on June 3, 2024. This rapid and efficient delivery highlights the KRG's focused effort to not only launch new initiatives but to see them through to fruition, transforming promises made on paper into concrete realities that directly benefit the citizens of the Kurdistan Region.

Sarhildan Park is poised to become a central recreational hub for Duhok, improving the city's environment and boosting its appeal as a tourism destination.

The new park is a significant addition to Duhok's urban landscape, built on a vast area of 122,000 square meters. A remarkable 75 percent of this space is dedicated to greenery, featuring thousands of diverse flowers and saplings that will lend a beautiful and attractive new appearance to the city.

Beyond its aesthetic and environmental contributions, the park has been meticulously designed to serve the community with a wide array of modern amenities. These include restaurants and cafeterias, attractive fountains, a Roman-style arena for hosting cultural events and activities, a designated sports area, a children's playground, and ample parking to accommodate visitors.

The opening of Sarhildan Park is not an isolated event but a key component of a comprehensive and equitable development strategy for Duhok province under the KRG's ninth cabinet. As previously reported by Kurdistan24, over the past four years, more than 959 large and small projects have been implemented across the province at a cost of over one trillion and 81 billion dinars.

This investment has been distributed "fairly" among the various districts, ensuring that progress is not confined to the urban center but reaches all communities. The inauguration of Sarhildan Park, which follows the finalization of 485 other projects in the province, is a testament to this ongoing and sustained commitment.

This focus on creating high-quality public green spaces is a central pillar of Prime Minister Barzani's agenda and is being mirrored in major initiatives across the Kurdistan Region.

In the capital, Erbil, an even more ambitious urban greening push is well underway. Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw recently announced that the city is set to add five new large parks this year alone, covering a combined area of 200 dunams and featuring the planting of more than 40,000 new trees.

Projects like the 80-dunam park near the 120-meter ring road and the 47-dunam Rashkin Park are already nearing completion, set to significantly enhance the capital's green infrastructure.

These new parks are part of a much larger and more strategic vision embodied by the massive Erbil Green Belt project. This sweeping environmental undertaking, revived by a decision from Prime Minister Barzani, will see an 85-kilometer-long, two-kilometer-deep ring of forests and parks encircle the city.

Erbil Municipality Head Karzan Hadi announced that this project will dramatically increase the capital's green spaces by 25 percent upon completion. The initiative is not merely about beautification; it is a crucial tool in the fight against climate change, designed to lower rising summer temperatures, restore environmental balance, prevent urban sprawl, and protect the city from pollution and desertification for decades to come.

The KRG's commitment to this green transformation is comprehensive and sustainable. In Erbil, this includes ambitious water management and recycling projects to ensure the new parks and the Green Belt have a reliable irrigation source. The city’s government-run nurseries are producing over 200,000 seedlings and flowers annually, with a focus on local species to reduce costs and promote biodiversity.

This integrated approach, which combines urban planning, environmental science, and sustainable resource management, demonstrates a deep and strategic commitment to public health and long-term prosperity.

Prime Minister Barzani has personally spearheaded many of these development initiatives, linking them to a holistic vision for the region's future. From laying the foundation stones for city and national parks in the Soran Independent Administration to inaugurating the long-awaited Ranya Bridge to bolster local agriculture and tourism, the Prime Minister has consistently championed projects that improve connectivity and quality of life.

The inauguration of Sarhildan Park in Duhok today is another milestone in this journey, a clear and visible sign that the KRG is dedicated to building healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable communities for all its citizens, transforming the urban landscapes of the Kurdistan Region into green, vibrant centers for future generations.