Iraq’s Al-Anbar on alert following surge in Euphrates River levels – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Authorities in western Iraq’s
Al-Anbar Province declared a state of full alert on Saturday after water levels
in the Euphrates River rose by about 1.5 meters following large releases from
Syria’s Tabqa Dam.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Al-Qaim
District Commissioner Turki Mohammed said joint service and security teams
inspected protective embankments along the river and reinforced vulnerable
sections. The measures included strengthening earthen barriers in sensitive
areas using heavy machinery provided by the municipalities of Al-Qaim, Anah,
and Rawa, while precautionary measures were activated to address any further
rise in water levels.

Authorities also increased
field deployments in Al-Qaim and the nearby Rumana subdistrict, where previous
encroachments on the river basin have heightened concerns over potential
flooding. Monitoring and mitigation efforts, Mohammed noted, remain underway
around the clock.

The Euphrates rose by nearly
three meters and expanded horizontally by as much as 50 meters in parts of
eastern Syria, according to the General Company for Drinking Water and
Sanitation in Deir ez-Zor. The flooding displaced residents, inundated homes,
disrupted drinking water stations, and triggered warnings of flash floods
threatening riverside communities and farmland.

Despite the developments, Iraqi
Water Resources Minister Muthanna Al-Tamimi reassured that Iraq can absorb any
potential flood wave originating from Syria, stressing that current
hydrological indicators do not point to a serious threat along the Euphrates
River.