ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi ministry of agriculture said on Monday most of Iraq’s central and southern areas are suffering from drought and the whole country has seen less rainfall in January compared to the same period last year.
"So far, the amount of rainfall in all central and southern Iraqi provinces is lower than the same period last year, especially in the southern provinces, where some areas received less than 30 millimeters," agriculture ministry spokesman Mohammed Khuzai told Rudaw, adding that as a result, there will be less wheat this year, compared to 2024.
The provinces of Maysan, Dhi Qar, Basra, and Nasiriyah have seen the least amount of rainfall so far, said Amer Jabri, spokesman for the Iraqi meteorological and seismological agency.
According to Jabri, plenty of rain is expected in February but it is not clear whether it will affect the agriculture sector. He also predicts that in any case, there will not be a general drought in the country this year.
“Drought is a natural phenomenon and it will be dealt with in accordance to its amount. In the Kurdistan Region so far, we have not declared drought in any area because this requires the coordination and opinion of all departments," Hiwa Ali, spokesperson for Kurdistan Region’s ministry of agriculture and water resources told Rudaw.
Besides Sulaimani - which had one millimeter of rainfall more than last year - all other three Kurdish provinces have seen less rain than the previous year, according to information obtained by Rudaw.
Iraq is one of the world's most oil-rich countries that's grappling with climate effects which have impacted all aspects of life in the country.
While climate change is a global problem, Iraq in particular is more vulnerable to its effects, as it was ranked fifth among countries most vulnerable to climate breakdown in a 2022 report by the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
Additionally, it is ranked 61st out of 163 countries on UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index. By 2050, water availability is expected to drop by 20 percent, which could lead to the loss of nearly one-third of Iraq's irrigated land.