ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday inaugurated the Bastora Dam in Erbil province, in an effort to strengthen water security in the Region.

The dam has a storage capacity of 20 million cubic meters of water and is set to have a comprehensive impact on the Kurdistan Region’s economy in several fields.

“The construction of these dams is part of the government's strategy to utilize Kurdistan's water resources in order to ensure water security,” Barzani said during the inauguration ceremony.

The Kurdish premier thanked KAR Group and its CEO Baz Karim Barzinji who undertook the construction of the project. 

Barzani called on all citizens to help the government in preserving the projects that are implemented and urged them to make the protection of the environment part of their culture.

“We have plans and agendas on how to develop this dam and other dams in this region and turn them into tourism hotspots in service of the people of Kurdistan once again,” he noted.

Bastora marks the seventh dam completed during the tenure of Prime Minister Barzani. The Gomaspan Dam, set to be the largest dam in Erbil and the third largest in the Kurdistan Region, is set to be completed by the end of the year.

A key focus of the KRG’s ninth cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Barzani is to revitalize the economy, laying the groundwork for and completing a significant number of projects for the purpose of creating as many jobs and securing a lasting economic independence.

From July 2019 to September 2024, a total of 977 factories, with a budget of 1.1 billion dollars, have been licensed across the Kurdistan Region. They have altogether helped create 15,245 jobs, a strategic achievement for the ninth KRG cabinet to reduce the unemployment burden on the government’s shoulders.

Additionally, the ninth cabinet has carried out 430 projects during its tenure across various sectors, including trade, banking, health, industry, tourism, agriculture and housing, according to the KRG.