Contaminated water leaves over 700 residents sick in Sulaymaniyah’s Sharazur district

SULAYMANIYAH — Over 700 residents in the Sharazur district of Sulaymaniyah governorate have suffered from severe vomiting and diarrhea within the past 24 hours, raising concerns of potential contamination in the local water supply.

Sharazur District Mayor Rizgar Ghafoor attributed the outbreak to issues with the district’s water system, which he said has been impacted by recent heavy rains. “The rainfall in recent days has had an effect,” Ghafoor stated, urging residents to avoid drinking water that has not been boiled or filtered.

Ghafoor highlighted financial constraints as a key reason for delayed improvements to the district’s aging water infrastructure. “Due to limited resources, we have only been able to maintain and upgrade parts of the old system, rather than implementing a new water project for the district,” he said.

The Shahid Raouf Beg Hospital in Sharazur has treated more than 700 individuals affected by the outbreak since last night, according to hospital spokesperson Kamal Tawagozi. Most cases were reported in the neighborhoods of Hawaran and Sharistani.

Early Thursday, a team from Sulaymaniyah’s Health Protection Department arrived in the district to collect water samples from the affected areas. Tawagozi said results are expected within 24 hours, which may help identify the cause of the illness and guide measures to prevent further spread.

Consuming contaminated water can lead to gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that causes symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.

Sarkar Surchi, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health, said a specialized committee from Sulaymaniyah’s General Health Directorate has been assigned to investigate the outbreak. While the exact number of affected individuals is still being determined, he noted that most patients have returned home after receiving treatment.