Forestry police set up water basins for wildlife during heat and drought

SULAYMANIYAH — Forestry and environment police in Sulaymaniyah have begun placing shallow water basins across multiple districts to help wild animals and birds cope with extreme heat and worsening water shortages.

Hemin Kamarkhan, spokesperson for the Sulaymaniyah Forestry and Environment Police, told 964media that officers from the Aghjalar station, in coordination with the subdistrict administration, have recently installed several basins throughout the area. He described the initiative as a gesture of “responsibility and compassion” toward wildlife.

“All of these water pits are closely monitored to prevent poaching,” Kamarkhan said.

Similar efforts are underway in Darbandikhan, Penjwen, Sharbazher, and other parts of Sulaymaniyah governorate, authorities said.

The measures come as the Kurdistan Region faces unusually low rainfall this year, prompting widespread concern among farmers and rural residents. In several communities, residents have held communal prayers, known as Salat Al-Istisqa, to ask for rain.