Floods hit Erbil neighborhoods following heavy rainfall

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Water quickly rose in several neighborhoods in the Kurdish capital following heavy rainfall on Thursday, recording the third flooding since October.

Floods hit Erbil province in the early hours of Thursday as it is expected to rain in the Kurdistan Region for next few days, according to the weather forecast.

Hawleri Nwe, Brayati and Saydawa neighborhoods have been affected by the floodwaters, as well as Bahrka and a few other areas.

Water levels also rose in Italian Village 2 on 120 meters road, a newly-built residential compound.

Rudaw footage showed water sweeping into people’s houses. However, Erbil Civil Defence confirmed to Rudaw that no loss of life has been reported in the recent flash floods. 

“This is the second time water floods my house,” Zaynab Ismael, a resident in Erbil’s Sebardan neighborhood told Rudaw’s Hadi Salami. 

The flash floods also impacted the traffic, restricting movement of vehicles and affecting the city’s road networking. Erbil governor Omed Khoshnaw issued a statement announcing Thursday a holiday for schools in the city, but students were already in their classes as his statement came around 8:00 am. 

In a press conference, Khoshnaw said the neighborhoods were not flooded, but had "accumulated" rainwater instead.  

The governor also asked people to "limit" their movements inside the city, and for them to stay indoors. 

Erbil suffers from an inadequate water supply distribution network and an unsustainable drainage system leading to flooding as sewers often overflow, leading to sewage escaping and mixing with stormwater.

The city often faces severe floods in the colder seasons of the year. At least 826 families were affected by December 17 floods, which killed twelve people, including a ten-month-old baby, whose body is still missing. https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/291220212

The Minister of Municipality and Tourism at the time assessed the cost of damages caused by the second flood as more than 21 billion dinars (over $14 million). 

Hundreds of houses also suffered material damage in the first strong rainfall of winter in the capital in late October.

 

Updated at 12:38 pm