In Parched Iraq, the Kurdistan Region Emerges as a Model of Water Security

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – As a catastrophic water crisis tightens its grip on federal Iraq, turning rivers into refuse dumps, forcing families from their ancestral villages, and pushing entire provinces to the brink of environmental disaster, a starkly different reality is unfolding in the Kurdistan Region. While the outcry of citizens rises in southern cities left to grapple with thirst and neglect, the Kurdistan Regional Government is implementing a strategic, long-term solution to water scarcity, exemplified by a massive new project in Erbil that promises water security for decades to come.

This tale of two vastly different outcomes within a single nation, detailed in a comprehensive report by Kurdistan24 correspondents Dilan Barzan and Ahmed Abdulsamad, highlights a profound divergence in governance, planning, and the fundamental ability to provide the most essential of all resources: clean, safe drinking water.

In the southern province of Diwaniyah, what is unfolding is not merely a shortage but, as the report describes it, the creation of a "major disaster... that may be unparalleled in the history of Iraq."

In the town of Afak, the Euphrates River, one of the twin rivers that gave birth to civilization, once flowed as a lifeline for the residents. Today, the riverbed is a garbage-strewn scar on the landscape, a potent symbol of systemic failure. The irony is as cruel as it is visible: the very river that defines the town's geography can no longer sustain its people, forcing them into a desperate daily search for potable water.

The sense of abandonment among the citizens is palpable and has curdled into a deep-seated anger directed at a government they feel has been a spectator to their suffering.

Saif Ali, a resident of Diwaniyah, expressed his profound frustration to Kurdistan24, lamenting the desecration of the country's natural heritage.

"The rivers of Iraq are being insulted in this way, and the government is a spectator," he said. "If we protest for water, it is of no use. All services have been neglected, even the water we drink. For 23 years, there has been a government, why should we not even have drinking water?"

His question hangs in the dry air, a damning indictment of two decades of post-2003 governance that has failed to secure the most basic element of life for its people.

This is not a new or sudden problem, but the culmination of years of neglect. The consequences are now accelerating, forcing a painful demographic shift as communities unravel. Abbas Jabbar, another citizen, described the grim reality on the ground.

"As you can see, for about a year, there has been no water at all," he explained. "A large part of the people here have migrated, and the surrounding villages are also being abandoned. There is no water, we are forced to buy it."

This forced migration, driven by thirst, is emptying out the Iraqi heartland, turning once-viable communities into ghost towns and adding another layer of instability to a nation already beset by challenges.

The anecdotal evidence of this disaster is backed by alarming official statistics that paint a picture of a nation's water resources in freefall. According to the data, the water level in the Tigris River has plummeted by a staggering 29 percent.

 The situation is even more dire for the Euphrates River, where the water level has decreased by a catastrophic 73 percent. The country's stored water reserves are also being depleted at a terrifying rate; in a period of just four months, the national reserve dropped from 10 billion cubic meters to eight billion cubic meters.

These figures are not just numbers on a page; they represent the draining of Iraq's lifeblood and a clear and present threat to its future food security, public health, and social stability.

Meanwhile, a journey north to the Kurdistan Region reveals a picture that is "180 degrees different." Here, the challenge of water scarcity is being met not with neglect, but with a robust, forward-looking strategy of investment and meticulous planning.

At the heart of this effort is the Emergency Rapid Water Supply Project for the city of Erbil, an initiative that stands as a powerful testament to the Kurdistan Regional Government's commitment to securing a sustainable future. The project's emphasis on quality and public health is immediately evident at its state-of-the-art water testing laboratory.

Inside the lab, a team of dedicated professionals works to ensure that the water reaching homes is not just plentiful, but pristine. Mabast Abdullah, a laboratory employee, detailed the rigorous quality control process for Kurdistan24.

"We take five to six samples daily from different neighborhoods of Erbil, and for each one, we perform 16 chemical and biological tests, which in total amounts to about 100 tests," he explained.

This commitment to scientific oversight ensures that the water supplied is safe for consumption, a standard of care that stands in stark contrast to the conditions in the south where citizens are left to fend for themselves.

The Erbil project is more than just a public utility; it is one of the most significant strategic infrastructure projects undertaken by the Kurdistan Regional Government. Its scale and impact are transformative.

According to Hemin Nazif, the project manager, the first phase alone will provide 240,000 cubic meters of water per day to the city center, a volume sufficient to solve the problem of water scarcity for the next 30 years.

The success of the project is so profound that it has fundamentally altered the city's relationship with its water resources. "One of the greatest achievements of this project has been the stoppage of 450 water wells," Nazif said.

By providing a reliable surface water source, the project has allowed the city to reduce its dependence on underground aquifers, a critical step in preserving groundwater for future generations.

The project's success has also shifted the public discourse. "The water problem was one of the prominent problems of Kurdistan, but now we do not have that problem," Nazif stated with confidence. "Even now, our water reservoirs are full, and people are asking for the expansion of the project, not a solution to water scarcity."

This is a remarkable achievement: the government has moved so far beyond basic crisis management that the public's demand is now for the expansion of a successful program, not merely a plea for a functioning one.

This giant project, which astonishingly progressed from the foundation stone to the operational stage in just one year, now has the capacity to supply a total of 480,000 cubic meters of clean water to all of Erbil.

Importantly, the Kurdistan Regional Government is not treating this as an isolated success; it is a model, with several similar large-scale water projects currently in the implementation phase across the entire Kurdistan Region.

The comparison could not be more stark. In federal Iraq, a crisis born of governmental inaction is metastasizing, leading to environmental degradation, forced displacement, and public desperation. In the Kurdistan Region, a crisis anticipated has been met with a strategic vision, resulting in water security, public confidence, and sustainable prosperity.

While the people of Diwaniyah look upon their sullied river and dream of the day they might not have to buy water, the people of Erbil look upon their full reservoirs and ask for their new system to be extended even further.

It is a tale of two governance philosophies, one reactive and mired in failure, the other proactive and defined by its success, with the future of millions of lives hanging in the balance.