A government movement to share the damage with Turkey and Iran in the face of the water crisis

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[size=52]A government movement to share the damage with Turkey and Iran in the face of the water crisis[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Hussein Hatem[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources continues its negotiations with the upstream countries to ensure access to Iraq's water rights and share the damage in times of water scarcity, while the ministry revealed that there is a plan to release quantities of water from dams according to the actual need to secure all the main requirements. Water specialists suggested reducing water consumption in the agricultural sector from 70% to 30% through the use of modern irrigation methods.[/size]
[size=45]A spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources, Ali Radi, said in an interview with Al-Mada that his ministry "continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold meetings in order to determine the main axes regarding ensuring Iraq's water rights in light of the current climate changes."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "Negotiations are continuing to ensure access to Iraq's water rights and to agree on the principle of sharing damage in times of water scarcity."[/size]
[size=45]And Radi said, "The current scarcity has led to Iraq resorting to using its available water reservoirs in reservoirs and dams, which led to a marked decrease in the level of reservoirs," explaining that "despite the rainfall, the quantities were not at the required level." The ministry’s spokesman revealed that there is “a plan to release quantities of water from the dams according to the actual need to secure all the main requirements for all beneficiaries,” noting that “the ministry is striving to implement the (Al-Marashnah) system in order to optimally distribute the water quotas among the beneficiaries.” Radi went on to say that the Ministry of Water Resources is "continuing with a campaign to raise violations of the water quotas for the governorates, as well as a major campaign to purify streams and sewers from the Shablan and Nile flower."[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday, Tuesday, the United Nations Special Representative in Iraq, Jenin Hennis-Plasschaert, called for Iraq's participation in meaningful discussions on water sharing, stressing that the United Nations family in Iraq is working in partnership with Iraq to manage water resources and reduce its negative effects on the environment.[/size]
[size=45]“Reduced rainfall, water shortages, soil and water salinization, ineffective resource management, and population growth are all factors that have affected across the country, in addition to climate change, the active reduction of water flows from countries,” Blackshart said in a statement received by Al-Mada. Neighborhood poses another serious threat.” She pointed out that "the bitter truth is that water scarcity is not only an immediate risk, but also a risk multiplier, as its potential impact on poverty, displacement and conflict has serious repercussions on Iraq's long-term stability and prosperity." Plasschaert called on all stakeholders across the political spectrum to “prioritize this issue as a shared responsibility and a critical issue that must be addressed urgently and seriously, and to overcome the political division. And most importantly, Iraq’s neighbors should engage in meaningful discussions about water sharing and resource management.”[/size]
[size=45]She concluded, by saying: "The United Nations family in Iraq works in partnership with Iraq to manage water resources, and we can all do our part by striving to reduce our impact on the environment." In turn, the water and agricultural expert, Adel Al-Mukhtar, said in an interview with (Al-Mada), that "the Ministry of Water Resources has spoken on more than one occasion that the rains and the water revenues that have occurred so far, can comfortably suffice for the next summer, in the event that the agricultural plan In the summer it is weak or very little,” adding, “The most important question is that if the next winter is dry, what will be the situation of Iraq in this case?”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the issue of water from Turkey and Iran, Al-Mukhtar added, “The two countries are also prone to drought, and there is a general water scarcity, as we witnessed in Tehran and Ahvas, there were demonstrations about the water crisis, but the question is, are the revenues we have sufficient to achieve a good agricultural plan or not?” .[/size]
[size=45]The water expert added, "We are still wasting large amounts of water and this is the problem, as it is difficult for water revenues to come as in the past compared to the current waste, as we spend 25 billion cubic meters of water annually." Al-Mukhtar added: “Now, we are suffering from water scarcity and water revenues have fallen by half, and the use should be between 10-12 billion cubic meters as the highest estimate, and this is the challenge, and so far we have not seen any action by the government in the face of the drought that is from We may be exposed to it in light of the water crisis.”[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "The Ministry of Water Resources always hides these revenues and we do not know what is meant by this concealment. Is the goal to prevent figures from the Iraqi citizen or the neighboring countries, and if we know that neighboring countries such as Turkey and Iran give us water, why this concealment?"[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar continues: “How can an agricultural plan be built when we do not know the amount of water revenue?”, pointing out that “the ministry knows the real figures for revenue and does not announce it, at a time when the figures are supposed to be announced and the accounts are clear.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar pointed out that "the water file is not related to the Ministry of Water Resources only, but is related to the possibility of use and waste by farmers." The water expert suggested, “Reducing water consumption in the agricultural sector from 70% to 30% through the use of modern irrigation methods and avoiding the cultivation of crops that require large amounts of water in times of crisis.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, water expert Tahsin al-Moussawi told Al-Mada that "the currently available water storage does not exceed 20 billion cubic meters, and in this case, only drinking water can be provided next summer."[/size]
[size=45]He added that "the water uses in Iraq are mostly incorrect and caused the waste of large quantities of water and the loss of about 50% of the agricultural plan."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi considered that "Iraq has gone through difficult conditions due to the scarcity of rain and global warming, as well as the lack of Iraq's water dues that come from Turkey, and all of this contributed to the desertification of many agricultural areas."[/size]
[size=45]The water expert called for "the use of a modern policy and the adoption of advanced irrigation methods to reduce the waste of water, in addition to the use of salinity-tolerant grains and the cultivation of trees that bear high levels of thirst."[/size]
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