Transformers on Diyala farm wells spark dispute between officials, villagers

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Transformers installed on agricultural wells in the village of Tabic in Diyala province’s northeastern Khanaqin district have become the focus of a dispute between local officials and residents. Diyala provincial council member Derya Khairullah said she documented numerous transformers on the wells during a field visit and received information that more than 30 transformers have been installed at different locations in the area. Villagers in Tabic staged a protest, maintaining that the transformers belong to them. Resident Firas Abu Mohammed said villagers returned after years of displacement to find their area looted and damaged, and insisted the transformers were not installed arbitrarily. He said official documents proving ownership exist and that villagers pay their electricity fees regularly. Fellow resident Ibrahim al-Awisi said the wells and transformers are critical to sustaining agricultural life in the area, and warned that cutting off electricity could trigger another wave of displacement. Khanaqin administrative unit head Mahdi al-Kureyvi said some residents hold electricity connection documents, and that the files are at different stages and must be examined individually. No further details on the review were immediately available.