ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Region's Water Directorate says it will not reduce water supplies but will reorganize distribution to decrease the overuse of water as the region suffers from a water crisis, the department said Thursday.
According to international standards, “each person needs 200 to 250 liters of water, but what we’re supplying daily is between 350 to 400 liters for each person. Some people waste it, and some of them don’t know how to use it correctly,” department director Ari Ahmed told Rudaw radio.
“We're trying to reorganize how water is distributed, not reduce supply," he said.
Officials told Rudaw in April that the Kurdistan Region is facing a water crisis due to lack of rain, government funding, and the building of dams in Turkey and Iran.
"Underground water levels have been steadily dropping for the past few years due to excessive water retrieval from wells," Ahmed said.
An allocation of 2.5 billion dinars for drinking water was discussed in a previous meeting, he said.
Qubad Talabani, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan, announced on Wednesday that a high-level board was formed to deal with the water crisis. Adding that they are developing a plan to protect and provide easy access to clean water.
"We discussed holding diplomatic talks with Iran and Turkey to unblock the flow of water in accordance with international standards, as well as prioritizing drinking water," Ahmed said.
Ahmad noted that Halabja and Qaladze may have more problems with their water than anywhere else, and said they are working "seriously" to resolve the issue.
"The whole area has indeed been affected by the lack of rain, but that is no reason to restrict all of the water."
A network of dams and canals are being constructed in Tehran, and Ankara has built a huge dam on the Tigris river at the cost of the ancient city of Hasankeyf that is now underwater.
The winter and spring this year saw less snowfall and rainfall than average. Many neighboring countries have built dams to hold on to water from rivers shared by the two countries.
Several other factors are blamed for the water shortage in the Kurdistan Region, such as poor water management and insufficient funding.
According to international standards, “each person needs 200 to 250 liters of water, but what we’re supplying daily is between 350 to 400 liters for each person. Some people waste it, and some of them don’t know how to use it correctly,” department director Ari Ahmed told Rudaw radio.
“We're trying to reorganize how water is distributed, not reduce supply," he said.
Officials told Rudaw in April that the Kurdistan Region is facing a water crisis due to lack of rain, government funding, and the building of dams in Turkey and Iran.
"Underground water levels have been steadily dropping for the past few years due to excessive water retrieval from wells," Ahmed said.
An allocation of 2.5 billion dinars for drinking water was discussed in a previous meeting, he said.
Qubad Talabani, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan, announced on Wednesday that a high-level board was formed to deal with the water crisis. Adding that they are developing a plan to protect and provide easy access to clean water.
"We discussed holding diplomatic talks with Iran and Turkey to unblock the flow of water in accordance with international standards, as well as prioritizing drinking water," Ahmed said.
Ahmad noted that Halabja and Qaladze may have more problems with their water than anywhere else, and said they are working "seriously" to resolve the issue.
"The whole area has indeed been affected by the lack of rain, but that is no reason to restrict all of the water."
A network of dams and canals are being constructed in Tehran, and Ankara has built a huge dam on the Tigris river at the cost of the ancient city of Hasankeyf that is now underwater.
The winter and spring this year saw less snowfall and rainfall than average. Many neighboring countries have built dams to hold on to water from rivers shared by the two countries.
Several other factors are blamed for the water shortage in the Kurdistan Region, such as poor water management and insufficient funding.
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