ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is set to launch a major multi-million-dollar water project in the central district of the Soran independent administration, an official told The New Region on Wednesday.

The project is set to be capable of processing over 3,000 cubic meters of water per hour, and it will cost the KRG over 157 billion dinars (over $118 million), the director of Soran’s water department Yusif Ahmed Rashid told The New Region.

Drinkable water levels are expected to nearly double with the project’s completion, with clean drinking water production projected to reach over 97,000 cubic meter per day, up from the 49,000 cubic meters the administration currently can produce.

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

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.

To counter the growing concerns regarding water shortages, the KRG has launched environmentally-friendly projects in recent years to preserve underground water sources and provide clean water to citizens.

The Soran initiative is one of several major water projects the KRG is currently developing, such as the $480-million Erbil Emergency Water Supply Project, the Qushtapa water project in southern Erbil at $170 million, and a major $423-million project connecting the Dukan lake to Sulaimani’s water grid.

The New Region understands that the Soran project was first proposed by the administration’s water directorate, in conjunction with the tourism and municipalities ministry’s water directorate, the Soran administration as well as the Soran district directorate, in August of 2025.