ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A water crisis has materialized in Erbil with almost all of the city’s water sources being dependent on public electricity, which has seen significant decreases in recent days. “The issue is related to a shortage of electricity, especially for those in neighborhoods which are located outside the 120m circle road, as their electricity has been disrupted,” Ari Ahmed, head of Erbil’s water directorate, told Rudaw on Wednesday. Only 90 of the 1,160 wells in Erbil have their own generator, while all of the others depend on public electricity, Ahmed said. Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) electricity ministry said Sunday that, “the production of electricity has decreased from 3,200 megawatts to 2,500 megawatts due to the financial crisis, a lack of fuel, reforms in some gas stations in Erbil and Chamchamal, and the closure of Khabat power station due to the return of its company staff to Korea due to [the spread of] coronavirus.” This has almost halved the number of hours public electricity is available. The ministry had previously produced enough power for 22 hours of electricity per day, but as of late this has been reduced to about 12 hours per day. “Today, we were told that the water would come by 4 am. We waited until then but did not receive any water. I just bought a tank of water. I got a haircut last night, but have not been able to wash it due to the lack of water,” Darawan Khatab, a resident of Erbil, told Rudaw on Wednesday. Ambar Mawloudm, an elderly resident of the city, says, “we do not have enough water to drink here, so my daughters [who live in other neighborhoods] have suggested we temporarily move there.” “We have not received a drop of water for the last four days … How can we live without water and electricity?” said Soran Asi from the neighborhood Farmanbaran, where he claims a water shortage occurs almost every year. A tank of water costs between $10-15, depending on its size. A Ministry of Electricity proposal to privatize the Kurdistan Region’s fragile electricity sector was approved last week, according to ministry officials. Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have consistently suffered from chronic electricity shortages and dilapidated infrastructure. The failure of successive Iraqi and Kurdish governments to alleviate the chronic shortages since the 2003 war has been a near constant source of public anger. Additional reporting by Farhad Dolamari
