Environment

Erbil to drill 138 wells to deal with possible water shortages in summer

The tripartite meeting and decision followed Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's decision a few days ago to allocate 7.6 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $5.2 million) to deal with possible water shortages in the Kurdistan Region capital.

Dler S. Mohammed 2022/04/14 18:30

Kurdistan Region Minister of Municipalities and Tourism Sasan Awni, Kurdistan Region Minister of Electricity Kamal Mohammed Saleh, and Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw in meeting, Erbil, April 14, 2022. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Masrour Barzan Krg Omed Khoshnaw Erbil drinking water in Erbil water in Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Erbil governorate decided on Thursday to drill 138 water wells in Erbil and its suburbs in preparation for potential shortages of drinking water in summer.

Kurdistan Region Minister of Municipalities and Tourism Sasan Awni, Kurdistan Region Minister of Electricity Kamal Mohammed Saleh, and Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw met on Thursday and decided to implement the precautionary measure.

The project includes:

·Drilling the 138 wells in the city and its suburbs.

·Providing 24-hour electricity for the well's water pumps.

·Taking preventive measures against the illegal extension of water pipes and theft of national electrical power.

They also decided to establish an operation room so the ministries of electricity and municipalities and the governor's office can closely monitor the situation and rapidly respond when needed.

Currently, the Kurdistan Region doesn't seem to have any issues with the drinking water supply. The KRG Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism announced on Sunday that the per capita quantity of drinking water produced in the Kurdistan Region exceeds international standards.

"According to international standards, only 250 liters of drinking water per day is needed for one person," the ministry stated. "While the Kurdistan Region's daily drinking water production per person is 300 liters to 350 liters."

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been working hard to provide enough drinking water for its citizens and the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees living in the region.

The KRG continually renovates the existing water projects and builds new ones across the Kurdistan Region's provinces to ensure every single resident has enough to drink. The KRG water sector uses a significant portion of the KRG's general annual budget as a result.