Ministry dismisses reports on Badoosh Dam removal

BAGHDAD — The Ministry of Water Resources dismissed reports that Badoosh Dam is being removed, calling them “completely false” and clarifying that it is in the process of contracting a renowned international consultancy specializing in large dams to develop a permanent solution for Mosul Dam and the partially constructed Badoosh Dam.

“Based on the directives of the Prime Minister, the ministry is reviewing the status of Badoosh Dam alongside Mosul Dam with the assistance of internationally recognized consulting firms,” the ministry said in a statement. “Claims that the dam’s existing structures, whose construction halted in 1991, are being removed are entirely untrue.”

Located near the town of Badoosh, about 16 kilometers northwest of Mosul, construction of Badoosh Dam began in 1988. Thirty percent of the project was completed before work was halted in 1991 due to the Gulf War. If finished, the dam would have had the capacity to store 10 billion cubic meters of water and was originally planned to include a hydroelectric power station.