Darbanidkhan Lake is an artificial lake in North Eastern Iraq. It was created by stopping the course of Sirwan and Tanjarro Rivers and is the main source of water for the town of Darbandikhan. It is also heavily polluted. In 2008, the Ministry of Health tested the waters of both the lake and households in the area and declared it unsuitable for drinking. One of the main causes of pollution of Darbadikhan lake is Tanjarro River, which runs through the city of Sulaymaniyah and receive an enormous amount of chemical waste from the many factories, oil refineries, hospitals and industrial laboratories in the area. Dam complexes built by the Iranian regime during the Iraq-Iran war and the decrease of the water level due to a drought also made the concentration of toxic chemicals in the water reach an unprecedented level. This also affects the fauna of the lake, poisoning the fishes and making them harmful for consumption. The concentration of heavy minerals such as Mercury, Lead, Cerium, Manganese, Nickel and Cobalt in the waters are way above international standards, according to studies performed by Sulaymaniyah University, the Enviornmental Directorate and the Bureau of Science and Environment of Iraq. The consumption of such polluted water can have devastating effects on the human body, such as kidney problems, skin diseases and cancer.
