ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Flash flooding has further weakened a temporary bridge over the Little Zab River which separates federal Iraq from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, leading to fears it could collapse at any moment.
The steel bridge was only recently built to replace the original structure destroyed in fighting between Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga in October 2017.
Damage caused by heavy freight traffic has been further exacerbated by the torrent of water passing under the bridge as flash flooding swells the Little Zab.
Heavy rains have caused serious damage to farms, homes, and infrastructure across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Photo: Rudaw TV“We feel very uncomfortable when passing on this bridge, fearing that it may collapse at any moment. It is badly-built and overloaded bridge,” Hangaw Yahya, a driver, told Rudaw Monday.
Mohammed Nadir, the head of Pirde sub-district council, told Rudaw the bridge is “very useless and tired. This may bring a catastrophe for us.”
Nadir said the government keeps repairing the temporary bridge by filling the gaps and covering it with soil, but after few days it returns to its poor condition.
The maximum weight the temporary is designed to hold is 64 tons. Authorities say this is regularly exceeded by heavy goods vehicles.
The bridge is located in Pirde (Altun Kupri), on the shores of the Little Zab River’s Dibis Lake.
It was destroyed when the Iraqi Army and Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias attacked the disputed areas, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province, forcing the Peshmerga to withdraw into the Region.
Photo: Rudaw TVAfter months of road closures, the bridge was finally opened to traffic in August 2018.
The temporary bridge was built by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as a stopgap while Erbil and Baghdad thrashed out who should pay to replace the permanent structure.
The KRG spent 220 million dinars ($180,000) on the temporary bridge. The Iraqi government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are supposed to spend up to $1 million on its reconstruction. Work has not yet commenced.
Pirde’s local government says it has sent four requests to Kirkuk provincial authorities about the structure. Kirkuk authorities say they have sent three requests to the federal government. Their letters have gone unanswered.
The road is strategic for both Baghdad and Erbil as it is a major trade route.
