ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has launched a probe to assess the extent of damage of Baghdad’s Zafaraniyah overpass and ascertain the precise cause.

A month after its opening in late April, copious amounts of water were seen leaking from the sides of the overpass on Sunday after footage began circulating on social media showing cracks appearing on the structure, making the bridge a risk for collapse and endangering bystanders and drivers around it.

Following the incident, Sudani tasked Iraq’s Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities, and Public Works, and Baghdad’s Mayoralty with launching “an immediate technical investigation into the defect in the Zafaraniyah Bridge project and to determine the causes of the damage to the water supply pipe that conflicts with the project,” read a statement by Sudani’s office.

The prime minister stressed “the need to identify those responsible, address the defect and its causes, and review all engineering procedures taken by the implementing companies related to such conflicts, to preserve public funds and ensure continued service to citizens,” the statement added.

Efforts are underway to stop the water leakages from the overpass Photo: The New Region

The Iraqi construction ministry clarified in a statement on Sunday that the damage owed to a faulty pipe, resulting “in water seeping from one side of the retaining walls… due to the pipe's age,” detailing that during the initiation of the project “no infrastructure plans were available,” and the particular pipe that caused the issue was not specified by the relevant authorities. The statement added that only after work began on the project did the pipe appear to conflict with the construction work.

The particular type of pipe “is not available in local markets, and importation takes a considerable amount of time,” the ministry noted, adding that “due to heavy traffic and the fact that the bridge was opened within the city, it was agreed that only light-duty vehicles would pass until the pipes arrived.” The statement implicated the passage of “heavy-duty trucks” in causing the damage seen in the videos.

Photo: The New Region

Measuring 620 meters long and 20 meters wide, the Zafaraniyah bridge was built to alleviate traffic congestion in the Iraqi capital.

The ministry added that “necessary measures were immediately taken” to cut off the water supply to the bridge and drain it and divert traffic, while staff have been directed to work at the site 24 hours a day to shorten the time needed to reroute traffic.

The New Region’s reporter on the scene of the bridge noted that authorities have failed to stop water from leaking through the outer walls of the overpass.

An engineer informed The New Region that the bridge has shifted 40 to 50 centimeters from its original position.

No safety measures have yet been implemented by Baghdad authorities, even as vehicles continue to drive past the cracks.