SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - Heavy rainfall and floods in Sulaimani province have resulted in the collapse and damage of over 25 bridges, with repairs yet to commence.
Intense rainfall over the past month has had visible consequences on the infrastructure in Sulaimani province, including the Zarzi Bridge. This critical link between Kirkuk and the Dukan Dam has been out of charge for nearly two weeks due to adverse weather conditions.
"The Zarzi Bridge serves as a vital pathway for people from Kirkuk and other Iraqi cities to access Sulaimani’s towns of Ranya, Koya, and the Qaladze district," Bakr Sadiq, a resident, told Rudaw’s Peshawa Bakhtyar on Friday.
The collapse of a bridge connecting 12 villages to Sulaimani province's Piramagrun and Bazyan has worsened the already harsh route students have to take to reach their schools.
“The collapse of the bridge has severely impacted our students, the villagers, and patients. Previously, reaching the hospital would take us only half an hour with patients, but now it takes around an hour and 15 minutes,” lamented Shaduman Abdul Ghaffar, another resident.