Work has begun on the al-Jazeera (Island) Irrigation Project in Shingal (Sinjar), aimed at irrigating one million acres of farmland and creating “tens of thousands of job opportunities,” according to an advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
“This is the first strategic project of its kind in [Shingal],” said Khalaf Shingali, the prime minister’s advisor for Yazidi affairs, in a statement to Rudaw. He confirmed that Sudani has approved the project’s blueprints.
The initiative will channel water from the Badush Dam on the Tigris River to Shingal, Rabia, and Ba’aj in western Nineveh province. In addition to boosting agriculture and employment, a second project is planned to establish a drinking water treatment facility in the region.
Shingal, a district in northern Iraq, continues to bear the scars of the 2014 genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State (ISIS) against the Yazidi community, which resulted in the deaths of over 5,000 Yazidis and the displacement of thousands more. Although the area was liberated in late 2015, instability, political disputes, and slow reconstruction efforts have delayed the return of many residents.
In recent years, the Iraqi government has intensified recovery efforts, financing the construction of homes and encouraging displaced families to return with promises of infrastructure development and financial compensation. In 2024, Prime Minister Sudani approved several key projects, including two hospitals, a water management system, and a university, as part of a broader initiative to revitalize Shingal and support its residents.
(Source: Rudaw)
