Director of the General Authority of Groundwater: The Saqi project is one of the pioneering and integrated projects in Iraq.

The Director of the General Authority for Ground Water in the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, Dr. Aysar Abdul Aziz, stated: “The Saqi project is one of the integrated projects in Iraq, as it uses modern irrigation techniques such as drips and pivotal sprinklers, which save large quantities of water. The project uses also alternative energy to operate its facilities, which is an important consideration because of its role in the investment of natural resources that are characterized by regeneration, as well as their friendliness to the environment.

Dr. Aysar led a delegation from the commission that visited the Saqi project, which is one of the important strategic projects that the al-Abbas's holy shrine adopted to invest underground water and cultivate agricultural crops. The commission conducted a tour in the project and was briefed on its main services.

She also added, "This is the first visit of its kind to this project, during which we examined the technologies and mechanism of work. The project achieved important results which gives us pride, as it is one of the unique projects thanks to its working mechanism and means of economic feasibility."

She explained: “What is also striking about this project, which is not limited to providing and investing underground water, is the cultivation of rare varieties of Iraqi date palms, and this of course will lead to supporting the agricultural side of the governorate, as well as providing many job opportunities for the workforce. The officials of this project informed us that there are future agricultural projects to grow other varieties of plants, which will contribute actively to the supporting the local product."

At the end of her speech, she affirmed: "The commission, based on what it has seen and witnessed of seriousness at work, is fully prepared to cooperate with the al-Abbas's holy shrine within the scope of this project, as it leads to the investment of desert areas and contributes to the development of the country's resources and the advancement of its agricultural and industrial reality."