Kurdistan
A man walking under the first rain of the season in the Kurdistan Region's capital city, Erbil. Photo: file/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Rainfall in the Kurdistan Region has more than doubled this season compared with the previous rainy season, following a worsening drought in previous years, according to the Region’s meteorology department. It also said a new wave of snowfall is expected to begin on Monday.
The Kurdistan Region’s meteorology department released rainfall statistics for the current season across its provinces, showing that Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok have all received more than twice the rainfall recorded during the same period last season.
According to the department’s data, Erbil has recorded 275 millimeters of rain so far this season, compared with 45.8 millimeters during the same period last year, an increase of 229.2 millimeters. Sulaimani recorded 427.7 millimeters, up from 188.1 millimeters, an increase of 239.6 millimeters.
In Duhok, rainfall reached 234.7 millimeters, compared with 34 millimeters last season, an increase of 209.6 millimeters. Halabja recorded 367.4 millimeters, up from 241 millimeters, an increase of 125.8 millimeters.
The department also said that a new wave of snow is expected to hit the Region on Monday and last for at least three days, adding that the temperatures are expected to drop by two to three degrees Celsius.
The increase in precipitation comes as the Kurdistan Region and Iraq continue to face severe water insecurity. In December, three consecutive days of heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk province, causing casualties, injuring civilians, and damaging thousands of homes.
Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams have increased by about 500 million cubic meters since early December following the storms, Rahman Khani, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Dams Department, told Rudaw earlier this month.
Despite the rise in reserves, officials warn the broader water crisis remains serious. Prolonged drought in parts of Sulaimani and Duhok provinces has forced some residents to abandon their villages.
Iraq relies heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but large dam projects in Turkey, including the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), have reduced downstream flows to less than 40 percent of historic levels. Declining rainfall, rising temperatures, upstream water controls, and decades of mismanagement have further worsened the crisis.
The Kurdistan Region’s meteorology department released rainfall statistics for the current season across its provinces, showing that Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok have all received more than twice the rainfall recorded during the same period last season.
According to the department’s data, Erbil has recorded 275 millimeters of rain so far this season, compared with 45.8 millimeters during the same period last year, an increase of 229.2 millimeters. Sulaimani recorded 427.7 millimeters, up from 188.1 millimeters, an increase of 239.6 millimeters.
In Duhok, rainfall reached 234.7 millimeters, compared with 34 millimeters last season, an increase of 209.6 millimeters. Halabja recorded 367.4 millimeters, up from 241 millimeters, an increase of 125.8 millimeters.
The department also said that a new wave of snow is expected to hit the Region on Monday and last for at least three days, adding that the temperatures are expected to drop by two to three degrees Celsius.
The increase in precipitation comes as the Kurdistan Region and Iraq continue to face severe water insecurity. In December, three consecutive days of heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk province, causing casualties, injuring civilians, and damaging thousands of homes.
Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams have increased by about 500 million cubic meters since early December following the storms, Rahman Khani, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Dams Department, told Rudaw earlier this month.
Despite the rise in reserves, officials warn the broader water crisis remains serious. Prolonged drought in parts of Sulaimani and Duhok provinces has forced some residents to abandon their villages.
Iraq relies heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but large dam projects in Turkey, including the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), have reduced downstream flows to less than 40 percent of historic levels. Declining rainfall, rising temperatures, upstream water controls, and decades of mismanagement have further worsened the crisis.
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