Torrential rains ravage hundreds of homes, businesses in Kurdistan as dam levels rise

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds of homes and businesses across the Kurdistan Region have been devastated over the past two days due to heavy rainfall and severe flooding, while Kurdish authorities on Wednesday warned of further risks from overflowing rivers and dams.

Ramk Ramazan, mayor of Chamchamal, located west of the eastern Sulaimani province, told Rudaw that the district - hit hardest by the torrential rains - “has seen more than 500 houses and 100 businesses damaged.”

"Sadly, due to the severe weather and heavy rain, we experienced a tragic event in Chamchamal today, resulting in the deaths of two citizens and injuries to 12 others," he said.

Moreover, the Chamchamal Public Library has also “sustained significant damage, with many of its rare and unique books affected,” according to Hersh Abdulrahman, the library’s director.

"Our library is located in a low-lying area," Abdulrahman said, adding that Tuesday's flooding caused severe damage, ruining much of its collection.

Five government offices in Chamchamal - including the property registrar, passport, culture, police, and district administration departments - have all been flooded.

South of Sulaimani, all three dams in the Garmiyan Administration - the Awaspir, Bawashaswar, and Turajar dams - have overflowed, according to Habar Mahmoud, director of Garmiyan dams, who spoke to Rudaw on Wednesday.

The Awaspi dam, west of Garmiyan, holds 20 million cubic meters of water; the Bawashaswar dam to the northwest, holds six million cubic meters; and the Turajar dam, east of Garmiyan, holds two million cubic meters.

Following the overflow of the dams, authorities warned residents of Kalar, the administrative center of Garmiyan, about the threat of major flooding.

Arif Adil, mayor of Kalar, told Rudaw that the embankments of the Goban stream to the northwest “could break, leading to significant flooding in Kalar.” He urged residents whose homes are located near the streams to “relocate immediately to ensure their safety.”

Northeast of Sulaimani, heavy snowfall and uncleared roads on the Iranian side face the Kurdistan Region’s Kele border crossing in Pishdar district of the Raparin Administration.

Abubakr Bayiz, mayor of Pishdar, told Rudaw that Iranian road maintenance teams have yet to clear the road on their side of the border, resulting in “a suspension of commercial traffic and traveler movement.” The semi-official Kele crossing is one of the region’s key points for commercial trade.

In the northern Kirkuk province, Hawraz Shwani, mayor of the Shwan sub-district, said Wednesday that floods and rising water levels in the Little Zab river have caused significant damage to villages in the area.

"Sadly, nearly 400 fish ponds and dozens of agricultural equipment in the Shwan sub-district - specifically in the villages of Kapank, Smaqa, Jgila, and Qaranaw along the Little Zab river - have been destroyed due to the flooding and rising water levels," he said.

He also added that several tourist parks in the area have been flooded and ruined.

Official response

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) water resources ministry said on Wednesday that dams across the Region have begun storing significant amounts of water following heavy rains and flooding over the past 48 hours.

In a statement, the ministry said that “more than 100 million cubic meters of water have been collected in both the Dukan and Darbandikhan dams,” in Sulaimani, adding that “the water level at Darbandikhan rose by 1.5 meters, while in Dukan it has risen by 70 centimeters.”

It also noted that all small dams in the Garmiyan and Sulaimani areas are now full, while in Erbil, "one dam has reached capacity and overflowed, while water has been stored in the others."

According to the ministry, the situation remains dynamic as inflows continue to rise. "The impact of the wave [of heavy rain] is expected to continue increasing the water levels of the large dams in the coming days," the statement added, indicating that major reservoirs across the Kurdistan Region are likely to see further gains as the weather system moves through.

Meanwhile, the Security Media Cell (SMC) - the media arm of the Joint Operations Command (JOC), which operates under the Iraqi premier - announced the establishment of an operations room to coordinate relief efforts between the northern Kirkuk and central Salahaddin provinces.

The effort is being coordinated through the Crisis and Disaster Management Center, affiliated with the interior ministry, the SMC said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered urgent support for people affected by the heavy rains and flash floods in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

His office quoted him as directing the National Center for Crisis and Disaster Management, along with other relevant authorities, “to provide assistance and support.” He also instructed Baghdad’s finance ministry “to allocate an emergency fund to meet all relief needs of our people in the Kurdistan Region” following “harsh climatic conditions that caused a severe wave of floods.”

The SMC also quoted Prime Minister Sudani as ordering “the deployment of aircraft from the Army Aviation Command to carry out evacuation operations once weather conditions improve.”

Authorities will also work on reopening roads, repairing damaged bridges, and providing all necessary support to facilitate the movement of residents in the affected areas, the SMC added.

[Source: Rûdaw English]