Iraq seeks a ‘fair and realistic’ share of water flow, says president

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq is seeking a "fair and realistic" share of water flow into the country from neighboring upstream countries and does not intend to hoard all quantities for itself, the country’s president said Saturday as dire water shortages continue to threaten the country with drought.

“The use of water by people is much larger than before … but our hope is that we will reach positive results, results that satisfy all parties,” Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said. “Frankly, we do not want to obtain all the quantities for ourselves, but we want a fair and realistic share for use in Iraq.”

Water levels in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers – shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey – have dropped considerably in recent years. In the latest stark warning of the threats a heating climate poses to the country, a report by Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources towards the end of last year predicted that unless urgent action is taken to combat declining water levels, Iraq’s two main rivers will be entirely dry by 2040.

Iraq’s water resources have seen a staggering decline of 70 percent due to drought and expanded damming in upstream Turkey and Iran, according to Ali Radi, director general for dams and reservoirs in Iraq’s water resources ministry.

Rashid affirmed Baghdad’s commitment to reach a “fair and comprehensive” solution with Ankara and Tehran for water releases downstream.

In November, Rashid labeled water scarcity as “the most prominent challenge” in Iraq while calling on the international community to assist the drought-stricken country in this regard.

Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) has long warned that water availability in Iraq is set to decrease by around 20 percent by 2025, threatening the long-term stability of Iraq’s agriculture and industry.

The issue is exacerbated by Turkish and Iranian damming of rivers that flow into Iraq, cutting off the increasingly dry nation from much-needed water relief.

Iraq seeks a ‘fair and realistic’ share of water flow, says president

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