Iraq water ministry says recent rains added 700 million cubic meters to reservoirs

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources said Thursday that recent rainfall has added more than 700 million cubic meters of water to the country’s reservoirs, rejecting what it described as inaccurate figures circulating in media reports and on social platforms about rain and flood volumes.

“The ministry rejects inaccurate statements and confirms optimal management of rainwater and flooding,” the statement said, urging the public to rely on official data as the only accurate source. The ministry said its teams carried out a series of measures during the recent weather system that raised stored water in dams by more than 700 million cubic meters, driven by heavy and moderate rainfall across various governorates.

According to the ministry, more than 200 million cubic meters of this water was directed into Lake Tharthar, which had seen no inflow for several seasons. Officials said the storms also increased inundation levels in the marshes, improved environmental conditions in the Shatt al-Arab through controlled freshwater releases to push back salinity and ensured irrigation requirements for the current winter agricultural season in most governorates. Reduced outflow from dams helped strengthen “active storage” and extend its lifespan, even though the recent inflows only partially compensate for shortages caused by repeated dry years, the ministry added.

This week’s storm was the second major rainfall system to hit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region this year, following an earlier autumn system that brought lighter rain. The current wave delivered heavier downpours, causing flash floods, stalled traffic and loss of life. Sulaymaniyah governorate recorded 122.7 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, bringing the season’s total to 258.7 millimeters. Chamchamal district reported two deaths, 12 injuries and damage to more than 500 houses, while a 9-year-old girl died in Kirkuk governorate after floodwaters swept her away in Farqani village. In Taqtaq, hundreds of fish ponds collapsed after river levels surged, and in Najaf governorate about 500,000 cubic meters of runoff flowed into the Najaf Sea.

The General Authority for Meteorology said unsettled weather from the system is expected to continue as it moves across Iraq.