The reservoir behind the massive Darbandikhan dam, tucked between the rolling mountains of northeastern Iraq, is almost full again after four successive years of drought and severe water shortages.

Iraqi officials say recent rainfall has refilled some of the water-scarce country's main reservoirs, taking levels to a record since 2019.

"The dam's storage capacity is three million cubic metres (106 million cubic feet). Today, with the available reserves, the dam is only missing 25 centimetres (10 inches) of water to be considered full," Saman Ismail, director of the Darbandikhan facility, told AFP on Sunday.

Built on the River Sirwan, the dam is located south of the city of Sulaimaniyah in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

"In the coming days, we will be able to say that it's full," said Ismail, with the water just a few metres below........

© Al Monitor