Arguing that amount is far too low, Erbil refuses emergency funds from Baghdad after deadly flooding

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – With the Kurdistan Region's province of Erbil still reeling from deadly floods that caused several million dollars in damage over the weekend, local officials on Tuesday rejected roughly just $1.37 million in emergency disaster relief funds allocated by the federal Iraqi government, arguing that the amount was far to low. 

Erbil Governor Omid Khoshnaw said in a statement that material losses caused by the floods are estimated at between 20 and 21 billion dinars (over $13 million) and that the amount offered is woefully insufficient.

"We reject this amount and will not receive it in any form," he said.

Heavy rainfall on Friday resulted in flash floods that killed 12 people, including a 10-month-old baby whose body has not yet been found. 

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Khoshnaw explained that Erbil's provincial government had submitted a request to Baghdad to allocate an amount from the national emergency reserve that is commensurate with the extent of the damage, which he said was "within the region’s constitutional rights," and expressed regret that the federal Council of Ministers had only decided to release the funds as announced.

He addressed the cabinet directly, arguing, "What we asked for is our legal right."