Emergency declared in Iraq as heavy rains batter country
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared an emergency in areas hit hard by heavy rainfall.
On Sunday, the office of the Iraqi prime minister ordered a "declaration of emergency in the areas affected by torrential rainwater that exceeded drainage capacity.”
The statement also called for the "mobilization" of the cabinet, security forces, civil defense and civilian volunteers for rescue efforts across the country.
For the past several days, Iraq was hit by heavy rain, which caused major flooding in the capital Baghdad and other areas of the country that resulted in multiple deaths, according to authorities.
Many houses, businesses, and streets were flooded with a combination of rainwater and sewage from the overwhelmed drainage system in Baghdad.
The flooding also damaged camps for internally displaced people who have fled violence in the western province of Anbar and other regions of Iraq, under the control of Daesh terrorists.
Sewers in many places in Iraq cannot handle the necessary volume of water, a main factor contributing to the floods.
Due to many years of wars and violence, Iraq has weak and outdated infrastructure that cannot properly handle an unusual amount of rain.
Authorities warned that the worst may not be over yet, as more rain is forecast in the coming days.
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