ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The first heavy rainfall of the season in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday caused power outages in the Raparin Administration and led to the electrocution of an electricity department employee, an official said. 

“Due to rain, lightning, and storms, more than 15 feeders in the administration experienced short circuiting. Some have been repaired, and other parts are currently being repaired by teams to restore electricity,” Ali Mohammed, general director of Raparin’s electricity department, told The New Region on Saturday.

Mohammed also confirmed that an employee of the department was electrocuted during the storms. 

“His health condition is stable now, and we are awaiting a new medical report from the doctors,” he said, adding that the worker sustained burns to “part of his body.” 

The employee is currently being treated at a hospital in Sulaimani.

In late October, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the registration for the Runaki Project in Sulaimani’s Raparin Administration as part of a broader push to provide 24-hour power to citizens.

Runaki aims to eliminate chronic electricity issues in the Kurdistan Region and has led to over 3,200 private power generators being phased out.

The KRG is aiming to shut off 7,000 generators by the end of the project’s implementation in a bid to reduce air and noise pollution, with the Region's capital of Erbil being classified as “unhealthy” by the Swiss IQAir air quality monitoring service. 

The KRG has long sought to curb air pollution and promote environmentally friendly projects, making them a key part of the ninth cabinet’s agenda.

The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said on Saturday it is on "full alert" to respond to rainy weather conditions across all provinces, adding that power feeders for rainwater drainage stations, sewage systems, hospitals, and health centers have been exempted from outages to ensure continuous electricity supply.