Recent Heavy Rains Boost Water Storage Across Kurdistan Region and Iraq

Kifri District Office

Bawa Shaswar Dam in the Kifri district of the Garmian Administration.

The recent wave of rainfall across Iraq, particularly in the Kurdistan Region, has led to a marked rise in dam water levels and a significant increase in overall water reserves.

Khaldoun Abdulkarim, Director of the Bawa Shaswar Dam in the Kifri district of the Garmian Administration, told PUKMEDIA: “Water storage at the Bawa Shaswar Dam has reached 6 million cubic meters, and the reservoir is now completely full. The recent rains increased the dam’s storage by 1.5 million cubic meters. All other dams and reservoirs in Garmian have also reached full capacity, which will greatly benefit farmers and the environment.”

The Kurdistan Region’s General Directorate of Dams and Water Reservoirs announced that water levels at the Dukan and Darbandikhan dams in Sulaymaniyah have risen by more than 100 million cubic meters following the rainfall. The Darbandikhan Dam recorded a 1.5-meter increase, while the water level at the Dukan Dam rose by 70 centimeters.

Earlier, Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources confirmed that the nationwide rainfall had raised water reserves by over 700 million cubic meters while reducing water releases. It added that around 200 million cubic meters of runoff—mainly from the Upper and Lower Zab rivers and the Mosul Dam—had been diverted to Lake Tharthar.

The Ministry emphasised that the widespread rainfall across Iraqi governorates has helped restore balance to water resources, support agricultural production, and ease the impact of water scarcity.



PUKMEDIA