Volunteers plant 150 palm trees near Kifri dam in community-led greening effort

KIFRI — A group of young volunteers in Kifri launched a grassroots effort to green the area surrounding the Bawashaswar Dam, planting around 150 palm trees on Monday with funds raised entirely through local donations.

Organized by residents of the district, which falls under the Garmian autonomous administration in Sulaymaniyah governorate, the initiative was coordinated via social media, where volunteers called on the public to contribute.

“Through social platforms, we called on people to contribute so we could raise money and buy palm trees to green the Bawashaswar Dam area,” said Twana Mahmood, one of the organizers.

The group collected 875,000 Iraqi dinars — about $616 — and used the funds to travel to Karbala, where they purchased several palm varieties suited to the region’s climate. These included Zuhdi, Tabarzin, Hamrawi, Khastawi, and Khazrawi types.

“Today, with support from the Kifri municipality, we planted the trees around the dam,” Mahmood said.

Palm trees were chosen for their resilience, heat tolerance, and potential to bear fruit. Mahmood said the group plans to continue caring for the saplings as they grow, with the aim of improving the local environment and landscape over time.

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