ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The government declared Monday a public holiday as heavy rains sweep across the Kurdistan Region and raise fears of flooding.
“Due to the heavy rainfall forecast in all provinces of the Kurdistan Region… The [Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG] has decided to make tomorrow a public holiday in all its institutions and non-governmental educational institutions,” read a statement from KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani on Sunday evening.
Hawramani urged everyone to stay away from rivers or areas with rising water levels and not to use intercity roads unless necessary. Civil defense teams will be on standby in case of emergency.
Heavy rain on Sunday is forecast to continue on Monday. High water levels and flash floods during the rainy season in fall and winter are a common and at times deadly occurrence in the Kurdistan Region.
Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir and Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw have both put their first responders and relevant service departments on alert and warned citizens to take precautions for their safety.
Iraq’s Nineveh and Qadisiyah provinces also declared public holidays because of the weather for all governmental institutions apart from security and health, and civil defense services, as well as schools for grade 12 students.
The Kurdistan Region experienced a wave of deadly and destructive floods in late 2021 and early 2022, with the capital Erbil bearing the brunt of the heavy rainstorms. At least 826 families were affected by the floods that killed twelve people, including a ten-month-old baby.
The Ministry of Municipality and Tourism at the time assessed the cost of damages as more than 21 billion dinars (over $14 million).
