Iraqi PM offers help in responding to Erbil’s deadly flooding

Karwan Faidhi Dri

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received a phone call on Friday from his Iraqi counterpart Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in which the latter expressed his government's readiness to help the Region cope with flash floods in Erbil that killed a dozen people.

In the early hours of Friday, floods killed 12 people in several neighborhoods of Erbil, the capital city of Kurdistan Region, according to Governor Omed Khoshnaw, who told reporters later in the day that they would assess the losses on Saturday. 

Kadhimi told Barzani in the phone call that “the central government will take all necessary measures to help the Region’s institutions respond to the recent wave of floods,” read a tweet from the Iraqi premiere.  

Barzani, who visited several affected areas and led an urgent meeting with local officials, told reporters that one of the reasons behind Friday’s floods in the city was the bad sewage system in these areas. He said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will do everything it can to help the victims of the flooding and compensate them. 

Governor Khoshnaw said in a press conference that the dead body of a child remains missing, adding that the casualties include two Arabs, a Yazidi man, a Turkish citizen and two Nepalese. 

This is the second wave of flooding in Erbil city this year, with the first one in late October mostly causing material damage. Bad sewage system was blamed for this flooding as well, and the investor who built an affected neighbourhood was jailed for allegedly changing the direction of the sewage. 

Daratu, Roshinbiri, Zhyan, Bahrka and Shamamk were among the most affected areas in Friday’s flash floods. 

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