DREEN SHEIKH, Kurdistan Region — Residents in the Akre village of Dreen Sheikh have taken to repairing local roads themselves amid a lack of government aid.

“This tar has been here for nine to ten years. It was left from this factory. We as the residents of the village were free because of coronavirus. Therefore we began repairing our roads with the tar,” said resident Mizgin Ali.

“We tried to do this via the government but it said that it was in crisis and that it was dealing with coronavirus. So they refused to help us,” he added.

So far, volunteers have been able to work on 4km of road filled with potholes. The coronavirus pandemic has left many without work, giving them the time to undertake the much-needed roadworks.

“They began working on the repairs on 5 August. They repair each part on a different day … they work as volunteers,” said village mukhtar Sabah Piro.

However, the may still need government aid as roads have been damaged again.

“Our share in Duhok’s budget is less than eight percent when it should be 25 percent. The mayor, general director, governor and both ministers of [construction and housing] and finance have been informed of this… we have made calls every year to increase our budget,” said Mohammed Saeed, head of Akre’s roadworks directorate.

Reporting by Hunar Rasheed

Rudaw