Iraq addresses the lack of water by disappearing villages and agricultural lands.. “Makhul Dam” rais

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[size=52]Iraq addresses the lack of water by disappearing villages and agricultural lands.. “Makhul Dam” raises controversy again[/size]

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On Sunday, an online newspaper dealt with, in an article, the issue of the Makhoul Dam, which the Iraqi authorities are planning to build.[/size]
[size=45]In its lines, the article addressed the concerns of tens of thousands of Iraqis who are threatened with eviction because of the Makhoul Dam construction project, which the Iraqi government hopes to complete within five years on the Tigris River, on the administrative borders between the governorates of Kirkuk and Salah al-Din.[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper touched on the Iraqi authorities' defense of the project, in which they assert that the dam will secure a water reserve to address the shortage, in light of the severe drought that Iraq has been facing for three years and the repercussions of climate change.[/size]
[size=45]The article explained the society's opposition to the dam project, pointing to its negative effects on about 30 villages with about 118,000 people, in addition to its threat to biodiversity and a number of archaeological sites in the region.[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper gave an example of villages threatened with drowning, which is the village of Al-Masak, which is located on the banks of the Tigris, and its farmers depend on its fertile land rich in water. However, this will change when the dam is completed. The waters of the dam lake, which will contain three billion cubic meters of water, will flood the area.[/size]
[size=45]The article mentioned that the Makhoul Dam construction project was launched in 2001, during the reign of the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but it was halted due to the US invasion in 2003, and in the following years due to the deterioration of security in the country. Work on the dam project resumed in 2021, through drilling and soil analysis, and the construction of a bridge linking the two banks of the Tigris River.[/size]
[size=45]The article mentioned the statement of the deputy governor of Salah al-Din, Riyad al-Samarrai, about the project, saying: “The project will secure” an electric power generation station with a capacity of 250 megawatts, and an irrigation river that feeds large agricultural areas. The public interest requires the construction of this dam in order to provide water storage for Iraq, and the dam will work to “ward off The danger of flooding, and there is a committee formed from the concerned governorates and ministries to provide appropriate compensation to the residents for their relocation.”[/size]
[size=45]The article dealt with the response of civil society organizations to the project from another angle, and their warnings of its negative effects that may affect the animals and plants of the region, according to what was stated in a report prepared by the two non-governmental organizations “Save the Tigris” and its threat to the environment and archaeological sites, including the archaeological site of Assyria, which is on the list. UNESCO heritage.[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper dealt with a study prepared by the non-governmental organization “Liwan” for Culture and Development, which pointed to the risk of annihilation of 39 villages in the event of the dam being built, with a population of between 200 and 8,000 people. Where the organization indicated that more than 67 square kilometers of agricultural lands, properties, and green orchards are subject to disappearance when the dam water rises to its maximum level. In addition, more than 61,000 head of livestock had to be sold or transferred when the project was implemented.[/size]
[size=45]The article explored the opinion of a researcher who participated in the preparation of the “Liwan” study, Mihyar Kazem, who explained that “the problem of Iraq is the general decline in water rates coming from Turkey and Iran, and Iraq does not need a new dam.”[/size]
[size=45]In conclusion, the newspaper indicated that the study of the "Liwan" organization indicated that the dam will impede the daily life of 118,412 people.[/size]
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