International organizations: early warning of a possible drought in Iraq

[size=52]International organizations: early warning of a possible drought in Iraq[/size]

[size=45]The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Iraq stated in a new report that its branches in the country are working to continue contacts with local actors and partner organizations to follow up and investigate possible signs of shortage and scarcity of water resources and to identify the expected humanitarian impacts in this regard.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that the Ministry of Water Resources stated in a statement on May 9 that the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers decreased last year by 50%.[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that water scarcity is a periodic problem in Iraq resulting from the conditions of climate change and the fact that both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as well as other large rivers and tributaries, are affected by the factors of use and consumption at the places they come from and the construction of dams at their sources in other neighboring countries. In many locations, there is a lack of basic services and there is an imbalance and balance between water supply and demand.[/size]
[size=45]The report dealt with the effects of the scarcity of water resources on the humanitarian situation of the displaced and returnees in three governorates: Kirkuk, Diyala and Salah al-Din.[/size]
[size=45]In Kirkuk governorate, the area suffers from a lack of water supplies in terms of quantity and quality used by the residents there. Weak management of water resources and lack of coordination between the various parties contribute to the aggravation of the water crisis in the way of distributing the used water quotas among the population centers there, where there are tensions between the rate of population growth and the increase in demand for water for agricultural and industrial uses.[/size]
[size=45]The scarcity of water from its sources may have an impact on the production of wheat and barley crops in the governorate. The greatest impact will be on the agricultural lands dependent on irrigation located along the Little Zab River in the Dibis and Hawija regions. Humanitarian organizations are monitoring potential impacts on food security and people's living conditions. In the Hawija area, the largest number of returnees is in Kirkuk governorate. The decline in agricultural production would affect both the livelihood of the population and the availability of food in the market.[/size]
[size=45]As for Diyala, it is another province that suffers from the dangers of drought and water scarcity, due to its dependence on Lake Hamrin, which is fed by the Diyala River, which in turn originates from the Sirwan River in Iran.[/size]
[size=45]The water levels in Hamrin Lake have decreased significantly over the past year, as the submerged surface of the lake has shrunk by half, which has affected irrigation, agriculture and other impacts on potential returnees from displaced families. In one of the field tours of the OCHA Office of Humanitarian Affairs that were carried out in Diyala, returning displaced people from the residents of Al-Saadiya area revealed drought in the irrigation canal of the Diyala River, noting that this constitutes one of the main obstacles that prevent the return of other numbers of displaced people.[/size]
[size=45]Other communities in the villages of Khanaqin and Jalawla center, also indicated a state of drought and water scarcity in the irrigation canals, which requires pumping water for the purpose of continuing agricultural activities. The Ministry of Water Resources prevented most of the farmers in Diyala from planting summer crops for reasons related to the decreasing rates of water levels, which will negatively affect the level of farmers' income and may also cause food insecurity. The report indicated that the areas likely to be affected by water scarcity and drought in the coming months include the areas witnessing the return of the displaced in northern Muqdadiya, Jalawla and Saadiya in Khanaqin, as well as the Jabara and Qara Tabba areas in Kifri, and the Mandali and Qazaniyah areas in Baladruz.[/size]
[size=45]In the third governorate, Salah al-Din, the damage to the infrastructure of water facilities and irrigation continues to constitute an obstacle to the return of many displaced families and their new integration into society. Part of the province's regions witnessed high rates of conflict and fighting during the successive stages of battles over a period of 20 years, and no reconstruction attempts were made.[/size]
[size=45]Water treatment plants in many areas witnessing the return of displaced people in the governorate are destroyed, and access to potable water continues to be a chronic problem, and the situation will worsen and worsen due to the low levels of water sources during this summer. Intermittent electrical power installations, on the other hand, will hinder IDP returnees as well as host communities from using water pumps to alleviate any shortage of water resources.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, there are reports of an increase in conflict cases over land in the southern part of the governorate, which are located near water sources, which leads to more cases of instability. Humanitarian organizations are closely monitoring the impacts of potential droughts on IDPs, especially those displaced in unofficial displacement areas and sites.[/size]
[size=45]According to the statistics of the Displaced Movement Follow-up Center, there are 82 unofficial sites for internally displaced persons in Salah al-Din Governorate, with a total of 2,572 families. More than 1,300 families of these displaced people are in the city of Samarra, an area that is already suffering from severe water shortages. The report indicates that the displaced and returnees in this area rely heavily on wells to obtain potable water, but the low levels of sedimentary water may affect the processing of water in this way significantly. This may require water trucking, which is costly and unsustainable in the long run.[/size]
[size=45]Within the humanitarian team in the country, relevant agencies are monitoring indicators of a possible drought in Iraq and assessing the need for further intervention. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, indicated that the decrease in rainfall rates and the decrease in water levels from the sources of rivers may have a potential impact on the agricultural aspect and livestock farming, which may contribute to food insecurity, although there is a demand for further research to determine the extent The impact of this situation, the devaluation of the dinar currency that was implemented in December 2020 led to an increase in food prices, which may have other negative consequences as well. Despite this, the World Food Program has not recorded, at the present time, any cases of an increase in food insecurity.[/size]
[size=45]The World Food Organization (FAO) concluded that a possible drought may affect the targeted population groups to receive humanitarian aid according to the humanitarian response plan developed for the year 2021, which may lead to an exacerbation of humanitarian needs. In order to measure the extent of the impact of these risks, the FAO calls on members of the humanitarian teams in the country, donor countries and other humanitarian organizations to participate in an aid campaign for farmers for the upcoming agricultural season 2021-2022 by providing them according to emergency plan programs and through coordination with the government with seeds of drought-resistant crops and focusing on alternative commodities As well as rehabilitating the irrigation infrastructure and providing technical and financial support to farmers to develop their skills according to the equipment supplied to them.[/size]
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