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In this episode of Unfinished Stories, Rudaw's Hevidar Ahmed investigates the growing threats facing the Iraqi marshes, which have sparked large-scale migrations.
Ahmed visits the marshes to uncover the main causes behind the ongoing drought and explores its devastating impact on the communities who have lived there for generations.
The deeper one searches in the marshes, the more striking and more terrifying scenes they will see.
For the population of the marshes, climate change is not just rising temperatures. Rather, it's the migration of people, the breakdown of this area's social structure, and even the destruction of the oldest civilization that humanity created on earth. Here it's disappearing, losing its identity.
Khalid Shamal, General Director of the Ministry, who is also the spokesperson for the ministry, told Rudaw that Iraq has the record least water reserve.
"In the history of the Iraqi state - documenting from the past 80 years until now - Iraq has the least stored water ever. By stored, I mean water in Mosul Dam, Haditha Dam, Dukan Dam, Darbandikhan [Dam], and all existing dams. All water in Iraq's reservoirs and dams is the lowest in Iraqi state history," he said.
Iraq relies heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for its water supply, both of which originate in Turkey. However, extensive dam projects in Turkey, including the Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP), have drastically reduced water flow downstream into Iraq.
This reduced supply has led to extreme drought and desertification. Reports show Iraq now receives less than 40 percent of its historical water share, putting immense pressure on agriculture, daily use, and environmental sustainability.
Iraq and Turkey are also engaged in agreements and negotiations regarding water sharing.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani met in Ankara on Tuesday. Following the meeting, Mashhadani said Turkey agreed to increase the release of water into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by 420 cubic meters per second daily, starting Wednesday.
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