BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 3 (NNN-NINA) – All the five dams in Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala are completely filled, for the first time in many years, by heavy rain and torrents coming from mountainous areas, a provincial official said.
“The dams of Mandali, Qazanyah, Himreen, al-Adhaim and al-Wand, which have a total storage capacity of more than four billion cubic metres of water, were completely filled for the first time in the history of Diyala province,” Khudher al-Obeidi, member of Diyala provincial council, said.
Lake Himreen dam is holding extra water that exceeds its designed capacity, he said, adding that the other dams are also facing the same problem, pushing the provincial authorities to start discharging the surplus water of the dams to rivers and streams, to avoid any possible emergencies.
However, al-Obeidi said, the surplus of water gives Diyala province high flexibility in the next planting season and provides drinking water for more than two coming years.
Late on Monday, the Iraqi authorities announced high alert in the provinces of Salahudin, Kirkuk, Diyala, Wasit and Maysan, due to heavy rain and torrents that raised the water level to a danger level.
During the past few days, Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, headed meetings with a crisis cell, formed to discuss and evaluate plans, to control the floods and the expected rise of water level in the river, caused by melting snow and heavy rain.– NNN-NINA
