Zakho Shines Under Runaki Program

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – For the past forty-eight hours, the city of Zakho, under its independent administration, has experienced an unprecedented transformation as the Runaki 24-hour electricity project officially entered its pilot phase. The initiative, launched in Zakho’s central district, is being hailed as one of the most tangible milestones yet in Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s historic promise to deliver uninterrupted power across the Kurdistan Region.

According to the Kurdistan24 correspondent reporting from the city, the project entered operation two days ago and has since functioned without any major disruptions. Only brief outages of two to three minutes were recorded in a few neighborhoods before immediate resolution by local electricity teams. “Some areas are now receiving continuous power 24 hours a day,” the correspondent confirmed, emphasizing the visible improvement in daily life for thousands of residents.

The Zakho Independent Administration reported that over 80,000 subscribers, including households, shops, and industrial zones, are now connected to the 24-hour power grid. Although some commercial zones are still being integrated, work is ongoing to ensure that all markets and business districts are brought under the Runaki system. As of today, the entire city center of Zakho, including its commercial areas, is benefiting from round-the-clock electricity.

Local authorities say that during the first two days of operation, no complaints or technical issues were reported. On the contrary, residents have expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the stability of the power supply. In neighborhoods where diesel generators once stood between homes and mosques, complaints of noise, pollution, and suffocating smoke have now vanished. With the new system running successfully for 48 hours, Zakho residents describe the experience as “life-changing.”

Under the current plan, the experimental phase will last ten days. If the trial period concludes successfully, private generators will be permanently shut down, ending decades of dependency on polluting and costly energy sources. So far, around 300 generators in Zakho have already been decommissioned, marking a decisive step toward a cleaner environment. Local environmental observers confirm that air quality in the city has improved visibly, and “the air of Zakho is becoming purer by the day.”

The rollout continues across the remaining districts, including Bativa, Bekova, Rizgari, and Darkar, where technical teams are preparing for the next phase. According to Kurdistan24 information, once Zakho’s ten-day test period concludes, the experimental power supply will begin in these areas as well.

The success in Zakho represents the latest achievement in the Runaki initiative, the cornerstone of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s vision to provide 24-hour electricity across the Kurdistan Region. First introduced in 2023, the program has been described by the Prime Minister as a “promise to deliver not with words, but with evidence.” When launching the project in October 2024, Barzani posed a simple question to the public: “Can we achieve this or not? I say yes, we can.”

That vision has since become reality across multiple provinces. In August 2025, Barzani announced that the centers of Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja were already connected to 24-hour electricity—well ahead of schedule. Halabja was celebrated as the first province in both Kurdistan and Iraq to achieve uninterrupted electricity, a milestone widely commended as a model for energy reform across the region.

According to the KRG Ministry of Electricity, nearly four million citizens—more than half of the Region’s population—now benefit from uninterrupted power. The data shows 1.93 million people in Erbil through 504,000 subscribers, 1.34 million in Sulaimani with 351,000 subscribers, 351,000 in Duhok with 94,000 subscribers, and 139,000 in Halabja through 38,000 subscribers.

The program’s most immediate impact has been the shutdown of thousands of private diesel generators, long criticized for their devastating effect on public health and the environment. Official statistics confirm that 3,200 generators have been taken offline so far — including 2,197 in Erbil, 604 in Sulaimani, 356 in Duhok, and 65 in Halabja — preventing an estimated 600,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.

The Kurdistan Region Environment Board has reported that harmful pollutants such as PM2.5 and PM10 in Erbil have dropped by 50 percent, increasing visibility from six to ten kilometers. Meanwhile, 85 unlicensed oil refineries have been permanently shut down, further contributing to cleaner air.

Dr. Hardi Jawad, Director of Nanakali Hospital for Oncology, affirmed the project’s health benefits, stating, “By eliminating the carcinogenic smoke from thousands of generators, the Runaki program will have a very positive impact on reducing the number of cancer patients in the future.”

Environmental official Dilshad Hirani, Director of Environment in Erbil, also noted, “Air quality is becoming cleaner day by day. Previously, we received over 100 complaints nightly about pollution. Last month, we received only one.”

The Runaki program has also eased the financial burden on families. A progressive tariff system ensures that 80 percent of citizens pay less than they did previously for generator and national grid fees combined. In Erbil, residents report significant savings: Waleed Ibrahim said his new bill is “less than half” of what he used to pay solely for generator power, while Atta Kareem, a shop owner in Sulaimani, told Kurdistan24 that his monthly bill had fallen to just 9,000 Iraqi dinars. Another resident, Izzat Salih, compared his new 7,000–18,000 IQD bills with the 50,000 IQD he once paid, describing the change as “a remarkable relief.”

The impact extends beyond households. Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed emphasized that stable electricity has revolutionized classrooms across Kurdistan. “The availability of uninterrupted power allows for the installation of smart boards and data projectors,” he said, describing Runaki as part of a strategic trinity alongside the MyAccount digital salary program and water supply initiatives, all of which aim to modernize infrastructure and improve living standards.

In Duhok, where over two-thirds of the city is now powered 24 hours a day, Deputy Director of Electricity Hazem Mohammed said that 30 neighborhoods were connected in just five months, replacing 310 generators. The fourth expansion phase is underway in 14 additional neighborhoods, with full coverage expected by the end of the year.

The United States Consul General Wendy Green recently commended the Runaki and MyAccount programs during her visit to Erbil, praising them as “models of effective governance and modernization.”

As the program continues its march toward full regional implementation by 2026, Zakho’s success demonstrates how the Runaki initiative is transforming lives — from the clean air residents now breathe to the quiet nights free of generator noise.

For the people of Zakho, the lights shining uninterrupted for 48 hours symbolize more than electricity — they represent a promise fulfilled, a cleaner environment, and a vision of progress that has become reality across the Kurdistan Region.