ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources signed an agreement with Turkish company Kolaysoft on Sunday to develop smart water management systems and digitize the country’s water sector amid growing environmental challenges in the country.
"The Minister of Water Resources, Dr. Muthanna Al-Tamimi, signed a cooperation agreement with the Turkish company ‘Kolay Soft’ aimed at establishing a joint framework for smart water resource management to contribute to optimal water usage and to enhance and develop digital transformation projects," read the statement.
The importance of this memorandum of understanding stems from the climate challenges facing Iraq and rising consumption rates, which “necessitate the adoption of modern technologies to meet water needs,” the statement cited Tamimi as saying.
The agreement comes as Iraq and Turkey move to implement a broader water cooperation framework under which Turkish companies are expected to carry out water-sector projects in Iraq through a joint financing mechanism.
Iraq is heavily dependent on the Tigris and Euphrates, both of which originate in Turkey. Turkish dam projects, particularly the Southeastern Anatolia Project, have contributed to reduced downstream flows, while climate change, declining rainfall and water mismanagement have intensified Iraq’s water crisis.
Tamimi said the agreement holds particular relevance given Iraq’s environmental and climate challenges and rising water consumption.
Under the agreement, Kolaysoft will provide expertise to develop integrated systems for monitoring and measuring surface and groundwater, as well as programs to analyze water use and consumption points.
The agreement also covers the introduction of remote meter-reading devices and sensing technologies, staff training, and cooperation on digital transformation projects in line with Iraq’s priorities and includes the development of a geographic information system (GIS) to map water sources, facilities and water-use points and link their data to digital maps, the ministry said.
Iraq and Turkey signed an implementation mechanism for their Framework Water Cooperation Agreement in November 2025, following an initial agreement reached in 2023.
Under the arrangement, a joint Iraqi-Turkish fund is expected to finance water projects using Iraqi oil revenues, with Turkish companies working alongside Iraqi firms to implement projects, as opposed to the funding from the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources.
Turhan al-Mufti, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s advisor for water affairs, announced last week that the mechanism had entered its implementation phase, noting a “total volume of water in the Tigris and Euphrates is 800 to 900 cubic meters per second, which is double that of last year.”
He said the agreement would help guarantee continued water releases from Turkey, with Iraq and Turkey expected to establish a formula determining monthly and seasonal water requirements.
“According to this understanding with Turkey, the continuity of water releases will be guaranteed as a first step,” Mufti said. “Iraq will establish a formula to determine monthly and seasonal requirements, and the Turkish side will release water based on that formula.”
Mufti also said a joint fund would initially receive revenues equivalent to 30,000 barrels of Iraqi oil per day. “Through this fund, Turkish companies, in cooperation with Iraqi companies, will execute projects under both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government provinces,” he said.
The agreement comes after heavy rainfall across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region during the 2026 rainy season. In the Kurdistan Region, 23 of 25 dams and all 178 artificial ponds experienced overflow by May, according to Erbil’s meteorological authority.
