Building ponds: a strategic project, proper administration and quick implementation
Erbil, Kurdistan Region (GOV.KRD) - The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ninth Cabinet has focused greatly on agriculture, the industrial sector, water, and has implemented dozens of projects in these fields over the past three years.
The Ninth Cabinet has built ponds and dams. Ponds are important to conserve water and their use in the agricultural sectorm aside from their role in developing the tourism sector, their geographical beauty, preventing floods and increasing groundwater.
So far, 118 ponds have been built in the Kurdistan Region on an area of 479,364 acres that can hold 22 million 613,215 cubic metres of water, and the cost of this construction has reached 28 billion, 788 million and 376,278 Iraqi dinars.
According to statistics from the General Directorate of Water Resources, the proposal to build several more ponds has been submitted, and the Council of Ministers has approved the construction of the majority of the ponds while issuing special instructions for their building, jointly with the citizens.
“Before, we built 118 ponds through the Kurdistan Regional Government’s 27 years of age, but in this cabinet, the constitution of 41 ponds has been approved, some of them have been built, while the implementation of the remaining ones is scheduled to start soon,” said the Director General of the Ministry of Water Resources, Dr. Karwan Sabah Hawrami.
Hawrami distributed the ponds as follows:
First: The Council of Ministers agreed to build 23 pounds throughout the Kurdistan Region at a cost of 13 billion Iraqi dinars. Most of the ponds are being built while some have been handed to a company but their construction has not been initiated due to rainfall.
Second: The Council of Ministers later approved building 14 ponds in the surroundings of Erbil to prevent floods and to boost the water resources as well as underground water in the city.
Third: The Council of Ministers has now agreed to build four more ponds in Erbil governorate but the money and cost are yet to be estimated. Their construction is likely to begin soon.
The Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Begard Talabani, laid the foundation stone for the three newest ponds in late September, which are set to be built in Garmiyan administration. The Sarqzl, Sayd Hussein, and Goban ponds budgeted at 2 billion, 191 million Iraqi dinars.
The Kurdistan Region’s ponds built in villages are aimed at collecting water for agriculture purposes. They are distributed to the provinces as follows:
Erbil governorate: 36 ponds
- volume of stored water: 4 million, 714 thousand and 285 cubic meters
- can water an area of 3,598 dunam
- the height of the ponds varies from 3 meters to 18 meters
- the cost of the ponds is over 13 billion and 129 million 553 thousand and 250 Iraqi dinars.
- 18 ponds have been completed.
- 17 ponds are being constructed.
- construction period: 2000 until 2013.
- investors: KRG (25 ponds), OPC (2 ponds), South Korea (2 ponds) Kurdistan Presidency (5 ponds) Law 986 (2 ponds).
Sulaimani governorate: 12 ponds
- volume of stored water: one million and 677 thousand and 686 cubic meters
- can water 676 dunam of land
- the height of the ponds varies from 6 meters to 19 meters
- the cost of the ponds is 9 billion and 749 million and 650 thousand 985 Iraqi dinars
- construction period: 2012 to 2014
- investor: KRG
Duhok governorate: 58 ponds
- volume of stored water: 13 million and 350 thousand 135 cubic meters
- can water 4 thousand 746 dunam of land
- the height of the ponds is 11 meters to 21 meters
- the cost of the ponds is 28 billion and 218 million 450 thousands and five Iraqi dinars
- construction period: 2001 to 2014
- investors: KRG (41 ponds) governorate developments (12 ponds) Law 986 (4 ponds) American forces (1 pond)
Koya: 6 ponds
- volume of stored water: one million and 180 thousand cubic meters
- can water 285 dunam of land
- the height of the ponds is 10 meters to 14 meters
- the cost of the ponds is 2 billion and 470 million 340 thousands and 298 Iraqi dinars
- six ponds have been completed
- construction period: 2010 to 2018
- investors: KRG (5 ponds) civilian (one pond)
Garmiyan independent administration: 6 ponds
- volume of stored water: one million and 691 and one thousand 109 cubic meter
- can water 200 dunam of land
- the height of the ponds is 9 meters to 17 meters
- the cost of the ponds is 3 billion and 796 million 62 thousands and 945 Iraqi dinars
- Six ponds have been completed
- construction period: 2012 to 2013
- investors: KRG (5 ponds)
The General Directorate of Water Resources has proposed the building of another 23 ponds throughout the Kurdistan Region, which is scheduled to be built on an area of 2,138 dunam, capable of holding 4 million and 492 thousand and 734 cubic meters of water. It will also benefit 1,389 farmers. The ponds are budgeted at one billion and 167 million and 570 thousand 400 Iraqi dinars. They are distributed to the provinces as follows:
Erbil governorate: 9 ponds
- the project’s tendered budget: 4 billion and 978 million and 179 thousand 400 Iraqi dinars
- the project’s direct budget: 3 billion and 982 million and 547 thousand 940 Iraqi dinars
- volume of stored water: 832 thousand and 208 meters square
- can water 208 dunam of land
- height of ponds: 7 to 14 meters
- length of ponds: 95 to 110 meters
- 775 farmers will benefit from the ponds
Duhok governorate: 8 ponds
- the project’s tendered budget: 4 billion and 148 million and 391 thousand Iraqi dinars
- the project’s direct budget: 3 billion and 347 million and 512 thousand Iraqi dinars
- volume of stored water: 2 million and 670 thousand 289 cubic meters
- can water 1,443 dunam of land
- height of ponds: 13,5 to 19 meters
- length of ponds: 96 to 172 meters
- 470 farmers will benefit from the ponds
Halabja, Raparin and Garmiyan independent administrations: 6 ponds
- the project’s tendered budget: 5 billion and 5 million Iraqi dinars
- the project’s direct budget: 4 billion and 3 million Iraqi dinars
- volume of stored water: 990 thousand and 237 cubic meters
- can water 487 dunam of land
- height of ponds: 11 to 16 meters
- length of ponds: 100 to 160 meters
- 144 farmers will benefit from the ponds
“As the Ninth Cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government, we have tried to reduce the cost of the ponds and implement these steps transparently and in detail. In this manner, we see that this year that in the construction of this cabinet's ponds, their costs have been reduced by 55% compared to previous year's ponds where a pond would cost $1.6 billion, it is now being built for 700 million dinars. We want to bring this money to zero by implementing some other plans and projects and build the most ponds in return,” Hawrami said.