ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A $100 million landmark water project for providing clean drinking water to 53 villages in the northernmost Kurdistan Region has reached its final stage, Kurdish officials have confirmed, set to benefit tens of thousands of residents in the Region's remote areas.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Balinda-Barzan Water Project on Sunday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a video message shared on his X account that the initiative serves "53 villages across Mergasor, Akre, and Khalifan districts," located in the northern part of the Region.
He added that the project is set to provide water supply for those areas "for the next 20 years," vowing to "continue implementing projects like this and work to deliver essential services to every part of the Kurdistan Region."
The total cost of the Balinda-Barzan Water Project stands at more than $105 million, producing roughly 1,200 cubic meters of drinking water per hour.
Project Supervisor Samir Mushir told Rudaw's Andam Jabar that the initiative is among the "most advanced" in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole, especially with regard to the "technologies used and the way the initiative has been implemented."
He explained that the project draws water from the Ava Sheen River, "one of the cleanest water sources in the area," after which the water is treated and filtered at a plant in Mergasor district's Balinda village to serve more than 35,000 residents in the Akre, Khalifan and Mergasor districts.
"The water undergoes all purification stages according to international standards before being supplied to residents," Mushir said.
Residents of the beneficiary districts told Rudaw their area had suffered water shortages for years, and expressed relief that the project has been completed.
"Until now, water was delivered to us by tanker trucks, and it was very difficult. But now our villages will have a reliable water supply, and we will have plenty of water," said Anwar Ahmed, a resident of Akre.
Mohsin Mustafa, a resident of Khalifan, said "thanks to this project, the problem of people migrating due to water scarcity has also been resolved."
Similarly, Khurshid Ali, a resident of Mergasor, said that last year all of his village's natural water sources dried up, leaving residents dependent on well water alone. "This project will put an end to those hardships," he added.
While construction began in 2013, the project faced delays, namely due to the rise and fall of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq between 2014 and 2017 as well as the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to supplying clean drinking water, the Balinda-Barzan Water Project is expected to contribute to agricultural development as well as reconstruction in the mountainous border areas of the Erbil and Duhok provinces.
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