Dozens of people took to streets in Hewler (Erbil), the capital of the Kurdistan Region, to protest against water shortages.

The residents of the Badawe neighbourhood took to the streets during morning hours to protest lack of drinking water in the city.

The KDP closed the road in the 100 Meter Street to vehicular traffic in an attempt to stop the crowd.

While the residents of the neighbourhood stated that they were protesting for clean water, KDP forces accused the activists of “being affiliated with a political force”.

Some alleged that Asayish (security) members in plain clothes wanted to create a provocation by blending into the activists.

Each year, drinking water problems emerge in the poor neighbourhoods of Hewler. Moreover, the price of a tanker of drinking water has been hiked to 100,000 Iraqi dinars this year. The authorities keep away from taking any concrete measures to resolve the water problem in the region where corruption is rampant.