Diyala river floods after Hamrin Lake reaches maximum capacity

Shafaq News- Diyala

On Thursday, water levels in the Diyala River surged to flood levels over the past hours after Lake Hamrin reached full capacity following heavy rainfall for the first time since 2019.

Government sources told Shafaq News that Lake Hamrin has filled to its maximum capacity of 2.4 billion cubic meters, prompting authorities to increase water releases into the Diyala River to between 400 and 500 cubic meters per second, along with additional flows of 100 to 200 cubic meters per second into other rivers.

The increased releases have caused the river basin to overflow, flooding several areas and homes built in violation of river protection zones. Authorities are also considering raising discharges to 900 cubic meters per second if risks to the Hamrin Dam infrastructure are detected, which could lead to more severe flooding.

Heavy rainfall on March 26–27, combined with runoff from Iran’s Zagros Mountains, triggered flooding in Khanaqin and eastern Diyala, filling several border valleys and forcing authorities to increase Diyala River releases to four times previous levels. The Diyala River, which stretches about 445 km and drains roughly 32,600 square kilometers, is a transboundary basin largely fed by flows originating in Iran, leaving the province highly vulnerable to sudden cross-border surges during periods of intense rainfall.