Water resources: efforts to activate water protocols with the Turkish side

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[size=52]Water resources: efforts to activate water protocols with the Turkish side[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources confirmed an Iraqi endeavor to activate the protocols signed with Turkey regarding water, and talked about a tight plan to manage the water file at the internal level, which includes benefiting from the dams' reserves according to need and priorities, and ensuring fair distribution of quotas.[/size]
[size=45]"Iraq has great and important measures in facing the water scarcity crisis," said ministry spokesman Ali Radhi.[/size]
[size=45]Radi continued, "The first aspect is related to the external file, represented by a high-level delegation that visited Turkey and discussed several axes, the most important of which is the policy and mechanism for operating Turkish dams."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The dialogues with Turkey also included the exchange of information regarding knowledge of the volume of water revenues that Iraq has established to meet its requirements and put all the protocols signed between the two countries into effect."[/size]
[size=45]Radi explained, "The other aspect of the procedures is related to the water management plan at the internal level."[/size]
[size=45]And he indicated, "The Ministry of Water Resources has two main plans, the first is to release water from dams and reservoirs according to agricultural requirements or to secure raw water for liquefaction, environmental use, marshes, and improvement of the Shatt al-Arab environment and all industrial, health and electrical uses."[/size]
[size=45]Rady added, "The second plan is to distribute water and manage it internally to ensure that rations reach all beneficiaries, and that no beneficiary of water is deprived of his share, and to end cases of abuse of polluted rivers or works."[/size]
[size=45]The ministry had previously stated that drinking water and humanitarian uses are fully secured, which observers questioned and talked about the widening scarcity, as the storage may not be sufficient for the end of the current season, considering the proceeding with agricultural plans a great danger.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, Representative Saad Al-Tubi spoke about "efforts being made by the government and parliament to hold a series of negotiations with the Turkish side to restore Iraq's water rights."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Toubi continued, "The water scarcity has become clear, and the situation is getting worse in the southern regions, affecting the lives of people who depend on agriculture for their daily sustenance."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The negotiations should introduce new grants and be of a practical nature in order to persuade the upstream countries to share the damage."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Tahsin al-Moussawi, a specialist in water affairs, said that "the water crisis is not the only cause of climate change."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi continued, "There are other reasons, the first of which is cutting water quotas," stressing that "Iraq is going through a state of emergency, and the situation will become more critical in the coming days."[/size]
[size=45]And he pointed out, "The results began to appear through the death of fish," warning that "this condition causes a threat to human health."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi said, "This large amount that was spent due to lack of water needs to be disposed of through a good sanitary landfill."[/size]
[size=45]And he stated, “The decomposition of dead fish means that they can be eaten by animals and then transmitted to humans, and pose a threat to their health.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi pointed out, "The water crisis is not borne by the Ministry of Water Resources alone, as it is responsible for the internal water policy. As for the external file, it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "The diplomatic role was not effective on water," stressing that "the policies of neighboring countries towards Iraq made us gradually lose the agricultural plan and the expansion of migration from the marshlands."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi talked about "diseases that began to appear clearly due to the lack of water, with an increase in desertification rates," and he believed that "returning the land that has turned into a desert to its fertile nature is very difficult because it has lost its physical properties."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "What is transported from Tharthar Lake is not suitable for human consumption, because its water contains a high percentage of salts."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi added, "Iraqi water reserves have reached their lowest levels in history, and they have reached the stage of water bankruptcy, and what is available cannot meet the need of the marshes."[/size]
[size=45]And he went on to say that “the competent parliamentary committees had to defend the Marshlands reserves after they entered the International Heritage List.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi concluded, "The loss of time must be eliminated, because we are facing a very critical stage, and the water file must be internationalized in order to obtain our water rights from the Turkish side."[/size]
[size=45]Iraq is suffering from the fourth consecutive dry season, due to the lack of rain and diminishing revenues from neighboring countries, amid real fears of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers drying up in the coming years.[/size]
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