ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq has taken a series of preparatory measures regarding a potential rise in water levels at the Euphrates River to ensure the protection of residents and key infrastructure, after increased water release from Turkey resulted in major floods in neighboring Syria.

The Civil Defense Directorate “has raised the level of human and logistical readiness in all areas along the Euphrates River basin within Anbar Governorate,” Director of the directorate’s media and public relations department Nawas Sabah Shaker told the state newspaper.

The areas expand from ”al-Qaim district in the west, passing through the cities of Rumana, Rawa, and Haditha, and reaching the city of Hit,” he added.

The official also noted that relevant teams have been equipped with necessary tools for evacuation and rescue operations in cases of potential emergencies.

He also pointed out ongoing cooperation with the Ministry of Water Resources, which “monitors water levels in real time through field monitoring and surveillance systems.”

Spokesperson for the water resources ministry Khaled Shamal similarly told the state newspaper that the ministry has taken “extensive proactive measures in coordination with relevant supporting agencies in anticipation of any increase in water releases from the Euphrates River.”

Iraq’s western province of Anbar is considered a key hub in the country’s water management system, due to its strategic water facilities, most notably the Haditha Dam, one of the most important in Iraq, according to Shamal. It is also the Euphrates River’s point of entry into Iraq

Increased water flow from upstream Turkey caused by a period of heavy rainfall prompted a devastating rise in river levels in neighboring Syria, where floodwaters submerged farms, homes, and IDP camps across Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces.

Authorities have estimated that around 5,000 dunams of land were flooded in Deir ez-Zor and 1,500 dunams in Raqqa.

The incident was followed by reports of large quantities of water released from Syria’s Tabqa Dam, prompting local authorities to activate emergency plans and reinforce vulnerable sections of the Euphrates riverbanks.

On Saturday, Anbar declared a “maximum alert in the districts of Qaim, Rawa, and Anah to deal with rising Euphrates River levels caused by incoming water flows from Syria,” state media reported.