Water crisis hits 95 villages in Kirkuk district, affecting over 32,000 people

KIRKUK, Iraq — Local authorities in the Rashad district in southwestern Kirkuk have warned that a deepening drinking water crisis has left more than 32,000 residents across 95 villages at risk of running out of water. District Director Mawfouk Nouri said the shortages are also affecting roughly 132,000 sheep, along with a large number of cattle and other livestock. Officials attribute the crisis to fuel supply problems at the Kirkuk Water Directorate, the failure to approve a budget and insufficient allocated funds. Reduced operating hours at existing water networks and the shutdown of pumping stations have sharply cut the amount of water reaching the villages. Nouri said illegal connections on the main water line are diverting supplies to the Taza and Riyadh districts before they reach Rashad, leaving villages at the end of the line with the least water. The local administration is currently delivering six tanker trucks a day to the hardest-hit villages as a temporary measure. Authorities said they have requested emergency funding from the federal government and the Kirkuk local administration to find a permanent solution, but no further details on a response were immediately available.