ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The construction of a dam by Iran on a river that flows across the border into the town of Qaladze in the Kurdistan Region has led to a major reduction of water and the Kurdish minister of agriculture says that he plans to raise the issue with the Iranian authorities on a visit.

“Iran has constructed a dam in Sardasht, leading to a decrease in water flowing from Khas river into Qaladze,” Zana Othman, the Khas Water Project operator told Rudaw.

Othman said the reduction in water supplies has affected his project to provide potable water for the city.

“The Khas water project is constructed on this water which provides drinking water to Qaladze residents,” he reported. “Unfortunately since June 23, the water has decreased by 80 percent.”

“We cannot provide necessary drinking water to the residents of Qaladze,” he warned.

For this purpose, Abdulstar Majeed, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Agriculture and Water Resources minister has decided to visit Iran to discuss the Qaladze water shortage with the authorities of the neighboring country.

“I will be visiting the Islamic Republic of Iran and that I have set out a plan to deal with this issue,” Majeed told Rudaw.

The minister said that the Kurdistan Region has 17 small and medium sized dams to preserve water for irrigation and drinking and that they will hopefully prevent any water shortages in the future.

The Region will have nearly twice as much irrigation and drinking water once the construction of the dams is complete, Majeed promised.

Nearly 80 percent of the projects have been completed, the minister revealed.

Iran has built other dams in the past that have affected the flow of water into the Kurdistan Region.

The Garan Dam in the city of Mariwan has significantly impacted Lake Darbandikhan and storage facility in Sulaimani province.

The Kurdistan Region has several small rivers and two major lakes of Dukan and Darbadikhan that produce most of the country’s electricity.