Erbil Launches Intensive Irrigation Program to Protect Trees from Summer Heat
Rawand Ismail, director of the Erbil Directorate of Gardens and Parks Engineering, told Kurdistan24 that the program began at the start of summer and is designed to ensure trees in the city’s parks and gardens receive sufficient water.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Erbil’s Directorate of Gardens and Parks Engineering has launched an intensive irrigation program to protect trees and green spaces from drying out during the hot summer season, its director said.
Rawan Ismail, director of the Erbil Directorate of Gardens and Parks Engineering, told Kurdistan24 that the program began at the start of summer and is designed to ensure trees in the city’s parks and gardens receive sufficient water.
“According to the schedule, central islands and gardens are irrigated in the mornings before 8:00 a.m. and at night,” Ismail said.
He explained that the directorate uses water from wells and tankers for irrigation. Some treated domestic wastewater is also being used after tests conducted by the College of Science at Salahaddin University-Erbil confirmed that it is suitable for irrigation.
Ismail said the completion of Erbil’s wastewater reuse project would provide another significant source of treated water for irrigating the city’s green spaces.
The directorate is also preparing for the next planting season. “We plant flowers suitable for each season,” Ismail said, adding that autumn flowers would begin to be planted in early September.
He said the flowers, known for their distinctive colors, are produced locally using domestic labor and seeds rather than being imported.
Ismail also said the directorate would soon issue guidance identifying tree and sapling species capable of withstanding Erbil’s high temperatures.
“Some residents ask which types of trees can withstand the heat, so we will identify suitable tree and sapling species for them to plant in front of their homes,” he said.
According to the Erbil Parks and Gardens Directorate, the area under the jurisdiction of the Erbil Municipality Presidency contains 672 central islands, neighborhood parks and gardens, in addition to 24 major parks.
The Directorate of Gardens and Parks Engineering operates under the Erbil Municipality Presidency and is responsible for urban landscaping, maintaining public parks and green spaces, and carrying out afforestation campaigns aimed at expanding the city’s green coverage.