Erbil completes major water project aimed at easing summer shortages

ERBIL — A large-scale water transmission project in Erbil has been completed and entered its final testing phase, marking a key milestone in efforts to address the city’s persistent water shortages, local officials said.

“The water transmission project is complete and currently under testing. If there are no issues, water will be delivered and available for public use in the coming days,” Rabar Hussein, director of Erbil Water, told 964media.

The system is designed to deliver up to 480,000 cubic meters of treated water daily, pumping around 20,000 to 21,000 cubic meters per hour from the Greater Zab River to Erbil’s residential areas. Once fully operational, it is expected to significantly reduce the city’s dependence on groundwater, easing pressure on aquifers that have been overused for more than two decades.

“We want to rely on surface water, so we’ll phase out all the wells in several stages and only use the water that comes from surface sources,” Hussein said.

Local authorities say the project will help address widespread seasonal shortages that worsen during summer, when temperatures frequently rise above 40°C (104°F). In recent years, many Erbil neighborhoods have faced recurring disruptions, forcing residents to rely on water deliveries from aid groups or political parties.

The project was officially launched on Sept. 8, 2024, when Prime Minister Masrour Barzani laid the foundation stone in the Kawrgosk area, about 40 kilometers northwest of Erbil. It includes 20 reservoirs with a combined storage capacity of 300,000 cubic meters.

“This is one of the most essential and vital projects for Kurdistan, particularly for Erbil, which has experienced severe water shortages every summer for many years,” Barzani said at the time.

Currently, Erbil gets around 60% of its water from three main treatment plants—Ifraz 1, 2 and 3—drawing from the Upper Zab River. The remaining 40% comes from roughly 1,700 groundwater wells across the governorate.

The construction effort employed about 5,000 workers working in three shifts. Originally scheduled for completion in 550 days, the system is set to serve areas including Dara Tu, Banaslawa, Kasnazan, Shawes, Pirzin, Baharka, Ankawa and Sebiran—neighborhoods that have struggled with chronic water issues for years.