ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A major water project in Sulaimani province's Chamchamal is on track to be completed by the end of the year, a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official said Sunday, with the initiative expected to permanently address decades of water shortages in the area.

Ari Ahmad, head of the Kurdistan Region's General Directorate of Water and Sewerage, told The New Region that the Goptapa Water Project is around 40 percent complete and, if no funding issues arise, “will be completed by the end of this year.”

According to the KRG, the project, which has a total investment of 114 billion Iraqi dinars (around $87 million), “is expected to permanently resolve the decades-long water crisis affecting the area.”

Ahmad said 10 kilometers of pipeline have already been delivered to the project site, and preparations for connecting the network have been completed, though pipe-laying and connection work have yet to begin.

He added that the project's first phase will supply 3,400 cubic meters of water per hour. A second phase, planned within 10 years if demand increases, would double delivery capacity.

According to Ahmad, the project is expected to meet Chamchamal's water needs for the next 25 to 30 years.

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

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

To address growing concerns over water shortages, the KRG has launched several environmentally friendly projects in recent years aimed at preserving groundwater resources and expanding access to clean drinking water.