Paper Title
PLANNING FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE KURDISTAN REGION, IRAQ

Abstract
Abstract – The Kurdistan Region suffers from critical water shortages, due to its regional hydro-geological situation and the likely impact of global climate change on rainfall quantities and patterns. Moreover,the adjacentupstreamcountries havebuilt anumberof giant dams and vast irrigationprojects.Additionally, there is an increasein waterdemand dueto agrowingpopulation, improvements in lifequalityand development activities.This combination of conditionswill requirewater resourcemanagers and decision makers to balanceadwindlingsupplywith an escalatingdemand. This paper willreport onand examinethe development andimplementation of a plan for Sustainably Managing Water Resources in the Region. The plan was introduced duringJune2012 with a framework to deliver the stated objectives during 2018 and is now proposed to be extended to 2025. Theplanexamined the main challenges, identified the prioritiesandvarious means of realisingthe plan which included increasingwater volume and storage.Thepaper will also report on the outcomesto date as well as the barriers to implementation.Overall, the outcomes show an optimisticpictureof tangible and conceptual achievements so far which includecompletedprojects and imbedding modern management practices. Keywords – Water Resources, Management, Sustainability, Kurdistan Region, Iraq