Iraq increases water releases into Habbaniyah Lake – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry increased water releases
into Lake Habbaniyah to 40 cubic meters per second to replenish the lake and
improve water quality, the ministry said on Sunday.

The measure, ordered by Water Resources Minister Muthanna
Al-Tamimi, also aims to preserve the lake’s ecological balance and provide
sustainable water supplies to villages and communities along its shores.

In July, Habbaniyah Tourist City Director Moayad Al-Mashouh
told Shafaq News that the city needed a sustained release of one billion cubic
meters of water to restore normal activity, while the lake required 3.5 billion
cubic meters to return to its previous condition.

Lake Habbaniyah, located between Ramadi and Fallujah in
western Iraq’s Al-Anbar province, covers about 701 square kilometers. Created
in the 1950s, it became a major domestic tourism destination, attracting
thousands of families to its resort complex. After 2003, deteriorating
security, poor public services and neglect damaged its tourism infrastructure
and reduced its appeal to investors.

Read more: Rehabilitation plan to revive Al-Habbaniyah Tourist City in Iraq’s Al-Anbar