“The decrease in water will be a severe catastrophe if the drought continues next year,” said Rahman Khani, director of the dam.
Farhan Hussein, 52, has been growing rice in Darbandikhan for 35 years and this is the driest year he has ever seen. He can only sow his rice field every other year in order to share the dwindling resource.
“There are around 80 farmers in Banki Khelan village. Those 80 farmers have been divided into two groups due to a lack of rain and drought. Each group plants rice every second year because of water shortages,” he said.
Downstream in Zhallanaw, Yasa Ahmed owns a resort that provides a living for 10 families, but the drop in the water level is shrinking his business. It “means people don’t visit here,” he explained.
A Kurdish official earlier this year declared a “water crisis”. Across Iraq and Syria, more than 12 million people are losing access to water and wheat production has plummeted.
Iraq is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
