Erbil's Water Crisis: Luxury Amidst Desperation Highlights Stark Inequality and Mismanagement
As Erbil's water crisis intensifies, a stark contrast emerges between the city's struggling neighborhoods and opulent developments. While ordinary residents increasingly rely on water tankers, the luxurious Erbil Hills project (pictured), owned by Barzani family members, boasts artificial lakes and golf courses fed by over 100 newly drilled wells per an ex-MP, significantly exacerbating the water shortage.
The severity of the situation is evident in the depths now required for potable water wells, reaching 750 meters. This issue is likely to worsen amid global warming, raising concerns about long-term water security.
Opposition politician and ex-MP Ali Hama Saleh claims that the water crisis could be resolved by financing a large-scale water project through the sale of a prime piece of land. This plot, approximately 500,000 square meters in size and located opposite the Rotana Hotel, has instead been allegedly transferred illegally to an investor.
This water crisis exemplifies a broader pattern of mismanagement and disregard for local residents as well as a systemic issue of resource allocation and governance. The Erbil Hills project, where houses range from $4 to $10 million, caters to an elite few while tens of thousands of families in poorer neighborhoods struggle. These residents are forced to allocate a disproportionate amount of their income – up to 100,000 dinars monthly – for water alone, in a region where the median income ranges from 300,000 to 400,000 dinars.