Khabur River water level rises after heavy rain and snowmelt

ZAKHO — Water levels in the Khabur River in Zakho district, Duhok governorate, have reached 4.9 meters — 10 centimeters short of the five-meter threshold at which authorities will notify nearby residents of potential damage risk, a local water official said.

Mohammed Yassin, director of underground water resources in Zakho, told 964media that heavy rainfall and snowmelt in the area drove the rise, which was recorded late Monday night.

The surge follows a period of severe drought last year, when the river dropped to just 34 centimeters — a level not recorded in the previous 16 years. Recent storms have boosted Iraq’s strategic water reserves by around 6 billion cubic meters, raising storage levels in dams and reservoirs across the country after reserves fell to their lowest levels in roughly 80 years in 2025 due to prolonged drought and reduced upstream flows from Turkey and Iran.

Water Resources Minister Aoun Diab recently called for preserving Iraq’s strategic reserves despite the improved conditions, warning that the country “is still in the recovery stage” after years of severe scarcity, and urged rationalized consumption and protection of groundwater for future generations.