Experts: Turkey is embarking on the construction of a new dam that cuts off water revenues from Iraq

[size=52]Experts: Turkey is embarking on the construction of a new dam that cuts off water revenues from Iraq completely[/size]

[size=45]The Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources were forced to reduce the agricultural plan for this year due to the scarcity of water and the low levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and they agreed to address this scarcity through the release of water from the water reserve, whose volume in all reservoirs and dams is estimated at about 35 billion cubic meters.[/size]
[size=45]Experts in agricultural affairs warned of the intentions of the Turkish government, which began preparing maps and designs to build the "carrot" dam, which is located directly after the Ilisu dam, as it would reduce or perhaps prevent this dam from releasing water to Iraqi lands.[/size]
[size=45]Adel Al-Mukhtar, an agricultural expert, said in a statement to (Al-Mada) that “the reasons for the decline in levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are due to the lack of rain and snowy revenues, as well as the Turkish measures that reduced the water releases to Iraq,” indicating that “the ongoing negotiations with Ankara did not live up to credibility. Or tangible results ”.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar added that “the authorities concerned with the water file (the Ministry of Water Resources) have prior knowledge of the crisis of declining levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the problem that is currently occurring.” He asked, “Why did the ministry not act to address or avoid this problem?”[/size]
[size=45]Last Sunday, the Minister of Water Resources announced that the halving of water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers comes due to the lack of water imports coming from Turkey, which decreased by 50 percent, adding that “the tributaries of the Darbandikhan dam reached zero percent, while the lower Zab imports decreased by 70 percent. percent".[/size]
[size=45]The expert and the government advisor believes that “the Ministry of Water Resources is supposed to release from the water storage to address the water scarcity occurring in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,” believing that “this reluctance to deal with this water scarcity confirms the absence of clear strategic plans to manage the water file in Iraq by the ministry. “.[/size]
[size=45]In the middle of last week, President Barham Salih demanded, on the sidelines of his meeting with Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Rashid, the need to communicate with neighboring countries to regulate water relations, considering that "giving the water file a top priority comes as one of the pillars of Iraqi national security."[/size]
[size=45]The agricultural expert asks: "Why does the ministry refuse to talk about the size of our water reserves and consider it a secret?", Estimating that "the volume of Iraqi water reserves for this year in the dams of Mosul, Haditha, Habbaniyah and others may reach about 35 billion cubic meters."[/size]
[size=45]He adds that "despite these circumstances and the water crisis, the Ministry of Agriculture did not announce its agricultural plan for this year, after it conducted consultations with the Ministry of Water Resources to reduce the plan."[/size]
[size=45]The agricultural expert warns "against building the Turkish carrot dam, which is still under preparation, which will cut off most of the water releases that reach us from the Ilisu dam," expressing his astonishment at "the Iraqi government does not oppose or reject the construction of this dam."[/size]
[size=45]Activists circulated footage of the Tigris River, where water levels have fallen to levels that allow it to be walked after what witnessed a significant drop in the water level.[/size]
[size=45]The consultant adds that "reviewing the agricultural plan has become inevitable and required due to these problems and repercussions," noting that "the Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources changed the agricultural plan for this year at their last meeting."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar confirms that "the Ministry of Water Resources will start from the beginning of next month releasing water from the stockpile."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the water expert, Zafer Abdullah, confirmed in a statement to (Al-Mada) that "the agricultural plan depends on the existing quantities of water and its volume," adding that "in the event of a water scarcity, it will negatively affect the conditions of the annual agricultural plan."[/size]
[size=45]Abdullah added that "the ministries of agriculture and water resources have a joint coordination committee that meets continuously to discuss the agricultural plan, depending on the existing and stored quantities of water," noting that "the problem facing us in the current period is the excesses by some governorates on water quotas."[/size]
[size=45]For years, Iraq has suffered from a continuous decline in water revenues across the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the water scarcity crisis has also exacerbated the low amounts of rain falling in the country over the past years.[/size]
[size=45]The water expert stresses that "water scarcity will increase in the coming years due to natural conditions and the threats that are represented in the lack of rain quantities or changing places of fall with an increase in the population and a decrease in water revenues."[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]