Kurdistan Region braces for floods with onset of rainy season

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kirkuk and Halabja provinces have declared Sunday a holiday as authorities brace for potential floods with heavy rains forecast across the region. Floodwaters have already claimed one life.

A woman drowned in Kirkuk’s Abbasi subdistrict on Saturday, Rudaw’s Hiwa Husamadi reported. Her husband attempted a rescue and was also carried off by the floodwaters before he was saved.

The victim, 31-year-old Taiba Mubarak Ahmed, leaves behind three children.

The floods also caused the loss of dozens of sheep in the area.

The rainy weather began on Friday and is forecast to continue. This is the first serious rainfall of the season.

Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha announced a holiday for schools and universities across the province on Saturday night, citing “weather reports of heavy rains.”

Duhok is also making preparations.

“Heavy rains are expected to cover the Kurdistan Region today and tomorrow [Sunday], which may cause floods… Therefore, we ask citizens to be aware,” Bewar Abdulaziz, spokesperson for Duhok’s civil defense, told Rudaw.

In March, flash floods left two dead in Duhok.

“We ask all citizens to stay away from areas that have been flooded since the beginning of this year, and in case of any untoward incident, call 115,” said Abdulaziz, cautioning people who live near dams to prepare to evacuate if heavy rains persist.

Erbil’s municipality said in a statement that it had “taken all necessary preparations and measures for this year's rainy and winter season,” adding that there was “no reason to make Sunday a holiday.”

The Ministry of Higher Education stated that public and private universities could choose to declare a holiday if they deem it necessary.

Halabja has also declared a holiday, while authorities in Sulaimani province have yet to announce a decision at the time of writing this article.

Rising water levels and flash floods during the rainy seasons of fall and winter have become a common occurrence in the Kurdistan Region in recent years, at times reaching disastrous levels and causing casualties and significant damage.