18 dams and reservoirs completed, says KRG spox

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Peshawa Hawramani, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), announced on Tuesday that 18 dams and man-made reservoirs have been completed for $92 million, and 13 other dams and man-made reservoirs have been constructed for $420 million. Each dam has a capacity of approximately 200 million cubic meters.

The spokesman stated that 110 projects of man-made reservoirs have been completed in different parts of the Kurdistan Region, which will be used in the tourism, agriculture, horticulture, and livestock sectors. 

“In addition, 40 projects are currently undergoing implementation, while 71 projects have been proposed by the General Directorate of Water Resources,” the spokesperson continued.

Hawramani also said the KRG has worked on 89 other irrigation projects.

Meanwhile, he revealed that the daily production of drinking water in the Kurdistan Region reaches 2.9 million liters, which is supplied through about 20 stations, 5,000 wells, 850 springs, and 40 compacts.

“There are 1.8 million people in the Kurdistan Region who receive 500 liters of water per day, compared to 250 liters per person in neighboring countries,” he noted and added, “To limit the waste of clean water, the KRG has launched a project to install smart water meters.”

Hawramani explained that the cost of producing clean drinking water without electricity in the past four years was $410 million.

Moreover, the spokesman stressed that the Ninth Cabinet will continue to pay attention to its projects to protect water resources and provide clean water for citizens. However, at an estimated cost of $16 million, 744 other water projects have been initiated to revitalize Kurdistan's springs and transfer surface water into groundwater.