Fast expanding neighborhoods grapple with infrastructure woes

SULAYMANIYAH – In the Khidran sub-district of Dukan, the addition of two new neighborhoods has brought about not only growth but also significant challenges in infrastructure, particularly with roads and drainage systems. Local authorities and residents are calling for urgent attention to these issues, which have been exacerbated by delays in receiving necessary approvals from the Ministry of Finance.

Approximately 120 households in these recently developed areas are now facing the consequences of rapid expansion. Yusuf Ahmed, a resident, voiced the community’s frustrations to 964media, highlighting the adverse effects of the poor road conditions and insufficient drainage.

“The poor condition of our roads and the lack of drainage in our streets have become a problem for us, making it difficult to navigate in muddy conditions during the rainy season and dust in the summer,” Ahmed explained.

Omid Hassan, head of the Khidran Municipality, acknowledged the infrastructure woes and the municipality’s efforts to address them.

The projects aimed at improving roads and drainage require funding exceeding 200 million dinars (around $132,000), for which they have sought approval. “We have attempted to solve the problems of roads and drainage in the area and have raised our demands to higher authorities,” Hassan said.

Despite these efforts, the financial support from the Ministry of Finance remains elusive, highlighting the challenges of budgetary constraints on urban development.

The Khidran sub-district represents 11% of the total population of the Dukan district.