Tigris, Euphrates water levels rise as Iraq’s dams near full capacity: Minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Dams along Iraq’s primary river for drinking water and agriculture and power for millions are nearing their full capacity, Baghdad’s water resources minister said Monday, as the country experiences increased rainfall and significant water releases from upstream countries.

“Dams along the Tigris River - including Dukan, Darbandikhan, and Hamrin - are all close to full capacity,” Iraqi Water Resources Minister Aoun Diab told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA), adding that “these major dams, along with medium and smaller ones, will provide a solid water reserve, allowing the country to get through the summer season safely.”

The Dukan Dam is built along the Lesser Zab River, a major tributary of the Tigris, in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province. Meanwhile, the Darbandikhan Dam lies on the Sirwan River southeast of Sulaimani city, and the Hamrin Dam is situated along the Diyala River downstream from Darbandikhan.

Heavy rainfall has significantly boosted groundwater resources in Iraq, particularly in the Kurdistan Region. As of last week, 693 millimetres were recorded in Erbil city centre, 1,048 millimetres in Sulaimani, and 888 millimetres in the northern Duhok province, according to the Region’s meteorological authority.

Moreover, rainfall in mountainous areas has been significantly higher, with Erbil’s northernmost Mergasor district recording 2,140 millimetres by Saturday.

Diab further noted that “water releases from Turkey into the Tigris River at the Fishkhabour [Peshkhabur] area have exceeded 2,500 cubic meters per second, which is considered a strong flow rate,” adding that storage levels at Mosul Dam in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province - largely fed by these inflows - are also nearing full capacity.

He added that “any excess water [from the latter two] will be diverted to Lake Tharthar [in north-central Iraq] to boost its reserves and make use of it during the summer to meet the needs of the Euphrates River.”

The minister also pointed to “a slight increase in the Euphrates River, estimated at around 400 cubic meters per second or slightly less,” noting that releases at the Syrian-Turkish border have exceeded 1,000 cubic meters per second.

Iraq relies heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, both of which originate in Turkey. However, large-scale dam projects in Turkey - most notably the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) - have significantly reduced downstream water flows into Iraq.

The consequences of reduced water flow have been severe for Iraq, particularly in 2025 when rainfall levels were significantly low. The spokesperson for Iraq’s water ministry previously told Rudaw that year was “the worst year in Iraq’s history in terms of drought conditions not seen since 1933.”

Baghdad and Ankara in 2023 signed a Water Cooperation Agreement under which Turkey is required to “release a minimum of 500 cubic meters of water per second, of which 260 cubic meters should reach Iraq,” Aoun told Rudaw in February 2025.

In November, the two sides also agreed to implement a Strategic Framework Agreement first reached in April of the previous year. The deal includes an oil-for-water financial mechanism designed to pay Turkish companies to help modernize Iraq’s aging and deteriorating water infrastructure.

The improved water levels in Iraq come after several years of severe water shortages. Data from the Iraqi water resources ministry show that over the past three years, dam storage levels fell to historic lows, leading to the drying up of large areas of the southern marshlands and triggering mass migration from rural communities.

Moreover, the World Resources Institute in late 2023 classified Iraq among 25 countries facing “extreme water stress,” meaning it consumes more than 80 percent of its available water resources, leaving it highly vulnerable to prolonged drought conditions.