Water storage in Kurdistan Region tops 9 billion cubic meters

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams and artificial lakes exceeded 9 billion cubic meters this year, with most reservoirs reaching full capacity, the director general of the Region’s Dams and Reservoirs told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

According to Rahman Khani, all dams and artificial lakes in the Region had reached overflow levels except for Dukan Dam in Al-Sulaymaniyah and Komsban Dam in Erbil.

He explained that Darbandikhan Dam recorded nearly 3 billion cubic meters of stored water, while Duhok Dam surpassed 50 million cubic meters, adding that Dukan Dam requires only 1.15 meters more to reach full capacity and that total water storage across all dams has exceeded 9 billion cubic meters.

Official statistics showed that the Kurdistan Region currently has 25 dams and 178 artificial lakes used annually for water storage, while 11 additional dams and 58 artificial lakes remain under construction.

The improved water levels follow a relatively strong rainy season across Iraq. However, officials and environmental experts continue to warn that Iraq’s broader water crisis remains unresolved due to climate change, declining river flows, desertification, and unsustainable groundwater use.

Read more: Iraq faces permanent drought risks despite seasonal rainfall