ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday inaugurated the Qushtapa Water Project in southern Erbil, hailing it as an initiative to combat water scarcity and provide clean water to thousands of residents amid worsening drought in Iraq.

"We are here to tell you that we implemented another promise, and that this project has been completed," Barzani said at the project’s inauguration ceremony, completed at a cost of $170 million.

The project, launched in 2014, will provide drinking water and irrigation to Erbil’s Qushtapa and Bestana districts, as well as 72 villages in the province, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

"The effects of low rainfall in Iraq are very apparent, and we only want to reduce the consequences of drought on our region," Barzani stressed, adding that "we don't want to reach a point of emigration."

Iraq has faced worsening water shortages in recent years, with analysts warning the scarcity is expected to intensify in the coming years.

"We are hopeful to implement the other projects as soon as possible so that no place in the Kurdistan Region suffers from drought and water shortages," Barzani noted.

In September, Iraq’s agriculture ministry warned that the country’s water reserves have dropped to dangerous levels, stressing that rationing has become essential to protect water security.

The KRG has launched environmentally-friendly projects in recent years to preserve underground water sources and provide clean water to citizens.

Sasan Awni, the Kurdistan Region’s minister of municipalities and tourism, said during the project’s launching ceremony that 65,000 residents will be supplied with 3,000 cubic meters of water per hour per the initiative. 

“It has the capacity to provide water for 220,000 citizens for the next 30 years,” he added. 

Barzani further highlighted the importance of the water projects as “essential for all of our cities, towns, and villages,” adding that the KRG has recently inaugurated numerous service projects across the Region.

Another landmark water supply project in Erbil is set to be over 65 percent completed by November and will provide clean water to half of the Kurdistan Region’s capital. For years, Erbil’s residents had suffered from intense water shortages.