The Norwegian oil company DNO on April 4 said that production and operations at its Tawke field in the Duhok Governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq had fully resumed after torrential flooding in mid-March washed away large sections of the banks of the Khabur River, damaging roads and interfering with the loading of tanker trucks.
“The flooding resulted from local downpours combined with snowmelt in neighboring Turkey in the latter half of March. This led DNO to temporarily shut in its Tawke field for safety reasons while maintaining uninterrupted operations at the less exposed Peshkabir field, also within the Tawke license,” DNO said in a press release.
“Gross license production dropped from above 80,000 barrels per day to an average of 65,000 during a 10-day period but was restored to its pre-flooding level on March 30, 2024, as DNO worked to minimize flooding exposure, inspect damage and take remedial actions including installing additional truck loading facilities.”
DNO stated that none of its employees were harmed, although several significant pieces of equipment were swept away by the floodwaters and remain unaccounted for. Despite extensive damage in the nearby town of Zakho, the town’s 2,000-year-old Roman-era arched bridge remained unscathed.
The company aided the local community by distributing household appliances, such as refrigerators, to families hit hardest by the floods.
primary assessment of Rainfall-Induced
— JCC_KRG (@JccKrg) March 19, 2024
Damage in Duhok Governorate Over the Past 36 Hours – March 19, 2024. pic.twitter.com/Jf8dC8P5Rf
According to an assessment by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of the Interior’s Joint Crisis Coordination Center, at least three people were killed and 11 were injured on March 19, 2024, while 120 people were rescued and 160 houses were damaged.
In a statement on March 20, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani offered his condolences to the “families affected by the tragic loss of lives and property due to the recent rain and floods in Duhok and Zakho.”
“May God grant peace to the departed souls and bestow patience and solace upon their grieving families. To those who have suffered property losses, rest assured that we are committed to providing assistance and redress to alleviate your burdens during this difficult time.”
On March 21, the local authorities allocated 117 apartments to those affected by the floods in Duhok.
