Latest news with #AriAhmed
Shafaq News
03-08-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Erbil hosts Iraq's largest water project
Shafaq News – Erbil Erbil has become home to Iraq's largest water infrastructure project, supplying drinking water to six million people across the Kurdistan Region, Director General of Water and Sewage Ari Ahmed told Shafaq News on Sunday. In 2025, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet under Prime Minister Masrour Barzani inaugurated a rapid water pumping system capable of delivering 20,000 cubic meters per hour—marking the most significant upgrade to date. To sustain operations, the KRG allocates approximately 500 billion Iraqi dinars ($382M) annually to the sector, which employs over 12,000 workers across the Region. Erbil's water network extends more than 4,000 kilometers. Ahmed noted that the city's first water system was established in 1934 at the historic citadel, with major expansions implemented in 1968, 1983, and 2006. The Region now operates 5,800 wells—1,380 of them within Erbil. These currently supply 320,000 cubic meters of groundwater daily, alongside 324,000 cubic meters of treated water delivered to the city's nearly two million residents. While the global benchmark for water supply is around 250 liters per person per day, Erbil provides approximately 400 liters per capita. Ahmed also revealed that average well depths have increased sharply over the years, from 80–120 meters in the past to between 550 and 600 meters today.
Rudaw Net
21-07-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Kurdistan Region rolls out projects to fight chronic water shortages
Also in Kurdistan KRG opens child protection center in Halabja province: official Sulaimani villagers suffer from severe water shortage Kurdish ruling parties to meet soon for government formation talks Drones targeting Kurdistan Region were launched from Kirkuk: KRG official A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil is set to start a major wastewater recycling project aimed at protecting groundwater and supporting agriculture, with work to begin once the tendering process is complete, an official said Sunday. 'Work on the Erbil wastewater recycling project will soon begin and is currently in the tendering process, after which work will start immediately,' Ari Ahmed, the head of Kurdistan Region's water and sewerage directorate told Rudaw. The $200 million project is designed to recycle Erbil province's waste water and use it for irrigating green spaces and agriculture. It is located on the Gwer-Erbil road. 'It will benefit groundwater, irrigation of green spaces, and farmers' wells,' Ahmed said. Also on Sunday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced the opening of the first phase of the Rapid Water Emergency project and the wastewater recycling plant. 'Less than a year ago, we promised to solve Erbil's water shortage for the next 30 years with a $480 million investment. Today, we delivered on that promise,' Barzani wrote on X, adding that clean, 24-hour water now flows to Erbil neighborhoods under the first phase of the project. The Erbil Rapid Water Emergency Project aims to address chronic water shortages in the city. Prime Minister Barzani laid the foundation stone for the project in September. Water scarcity affects Erbil every year, especially in neighborhoods located east of the city. The World Resources Institute has ranked Iraq among the 25 countries facing extreme water stress, warning that the country is consuming more than 80 percent of its available water supply and could run dry if hit by a short-term drought. Iraq's deepening water crisis is driven by a combination of reduced rainfall, rising temperatures, upstream dams built by Turkey and Iran, and years of mismanagement. According to data obtained by Rudaw, rainfall across the Kurdistan Region has also dropped this year compared to last year, with the exception of Sulaimani province.
