Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources has unveiled an ambitious plan to start construction of 36 new dams across the country in 2024, with the aim of mitigating the worsening drought and water scarcity issues, as reported by state media on Monday.Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Diab, revealed to state-owned newspaper al-Sabah that Iraq is preparing to embark on the construction of 36 water retention dams within the coming year. The decision to proceed with this substantial project comes in response to scientific predictions pointing towards early rains in the autumn and winter seasons, following a prolonged four-year drought period in Iraq.
The initiative will kick off with the commencement of construction on two dams this year. The first in line is the Abu Takiya dam, which will be situated near the Shingal and Rabia areas, located in the arid Badia desert in the northwest of Iraq. The second dam, named al-Masad, is designated for the western desert region. According to Diab, the construction blueprints for both dams are already finalized.
