Residents complain of fuel odor in Sulaymaniyah tap water, officials insist supply is safe

SULAYMANIYAH – Residents of Khak and Raparin neighborhoods in Sulaymaniyah say their household water smells like fuel and has irritated their eyes, skin, and hair, though city officials maintain the supply is uncontaminated.

Kwestan Mohammed, a Khak resident, told 964media, “The water we receive smells like fuel and is not suitable for drinking. Even when we perform ablution, it irritates our eyes and has affected our skin and hair.”

Bakhtiyar Tahir, director of the Sulaimaniyah Water Directorate, rejected the claims of contamination. “We have inspected the water and what we monitored so far does not show any contamination. The water is safe because we know the source, and there is no fuel in that area,” he said. Tahir added that his office will continue inspections, stressing, “If fuel contamination did occur, it could affect residents, but so far, from our inspections, the water is safe.”

The neighborhoods receive water from the Sarchnar spring and the Dukan line, which are processed together before reaching homes.

The complaints come amid a worsening citywide water crisis. Declining levels at Sarchnar—now down 80 percent—and reduced rainfall have left many districts without piped water for up to a week at a time. Sulaymaniyah requires 480,000 cubic meters daily but is receiving just over half that amount.

Residents say shortages force mosque closures, disrupt daily life, and push households toward costly tanker deliveries, where prices have surged due to demand. Officials have urged conservation and rooftop storage, but frustrations are rising, with some neighborhoods staging protests over the deteriorating service.