Distribution of drinking water in parts of Kirkuk is facing major problems after water pumps at the multi-ethnic province’s main water purification plant stopped working due to electric power shortages.
The Kirkuk directorate of water distribution said in a statement on Sunday, June 7th, that water levels have dropped considerably in the plant due to pumps failure.
A source from the directorate told KirkukNow that only two thirds of the turbines are currently in operation, causing decrease in water distribution hours.
The source attributed the problem to lack of power supplies without giving information on how long it will take to tackle the issue.
Drinking water is distributed to Kirkuk’s neighborhood for several hours once every two days according to a timetable.
The scarcity has forced many to buy water supplied by private water tankers.
An estimated 200 billion Iraqi dinars was allocated within the province’s budget for the water department.
Building a second water purification plant has been set as a priority to deal with the problem.
The province now depends on a sole water project which was built in 1983 with the capacity of providing water for 850 thousand people, while the current population of the province is estimated at 1.5 million.
