Diyala bans river swimming after series of drownings as water levels rise

BAQUBA — Diyala’s governorate council has ordered river police to ban swimming in the Sadoor regulator, the Diyala River and other waterways following a series of drownings linked to rising water levels.

Council head Omar al-Karawi said Saturday the decision aims to prevent further fatalities, with river police units instructed to enforce the ban across main rivers and tributaries. The council called on families “to cooperate and engage with these instructions to avoid further painful incidents,” noting the particular risk to children and youth.

The move follows several recent deaths in the governorate. On Friday, Ahmed Qais, an imam and preacher at Al-Sibtain Mosque, drowned in the Diyala River in the Sadoor area of Muqdadiya district while attempting to perform ablution during a trip with a group of young men. River police recovered his body after an extensive search.

Muqdadiya district commissioner Zaid Ibrahim al-Azzawi said two further drowning incidents involving young men from Baquba had also been recorded in the Sadoor area. One body was recovered; the second victim, identified as Sheikh Ahmed al-Zuhairi, “was swept away after his foot slipped while attempting to perform ablution from the river” and had not been found at the time of the statement.

Azzawi said most visitors to the area “do not adhere to safety measures and do not avoid swimming in the river despite increased water releases in recent days, which has led to stronger currents and higher levels of danger.”