Drinking water shortages have struck several areas in Duz Khurmatu district over the past 10 days, forcing residents to hire water tankers to meet their daily demands.
The water scarcity has hit Komari, Bnar, Hanjira and Tayara neighborhoods, as temperatures reached 40 degrees.
“Amid the rising temperatures, fresh water scarcity over the past ten days has added to our suffering,” Hawkar Hussein, a resident of Komari neighborhood told KirkukNow.
Local residents are forced to pay 15 thousand Iraqi dinars (approximately US$ 10.2) for each private water tanker to supply them with water.
Ari Ali, another resident of Komari says they have informed the district’s administration several times about the crisis.
Esam Naqi, head of the Duz Khurmatu water distribution department attributed the problem to shortages in electric power supplies needed to operate water pumps in the district.
“We are doing our best to tackle this problem as soon as possible”, he told KirkukNow.
Duz Khurmatu, a district with a mixed make-up of Turkmens, Kurds and Arabs, is a disputed territory in Salahaddin province claimed by the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
