Water Resources: Turkey has not fulfilled its promises to raise releases and allow visits to its dam

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[size=52]Water Resources: Turkey has not fulfilled its promises to raise releases and allow visits to its dams[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources confirmed that the Turkish side has not yet implemented its recent promises to increase the releases of the Tigris River, and to give the green light to an Iraqi technical delegation visiting Turkey to see the reality of its dams.[/size]
[size=45]She talked about two plans to deal with the current crisis, the first by making use of storage quantities, and the second related to following up on water distributions and applying the (Al-Marashnah) system. Ministry spokesman Ali Radi said, "The latest developments in the meetings with the Turkish side regarding water is the dialogue that took place between the Minister of Water Resources, Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani, with the envoy of the Turkish president last week." Radi continued, "This meeting witnessed deliberations on the water crisis, the lack of releases, the sharing of damage, and the consequences of the statements issued by the Turkish embassy in Baghdad and the statement issued by the Ministry of Water Resources, in which it indicated that politics should not interfere with the water side."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The Turkish side promised to improve the water releases on the Tigris River during the subsequent period, and agreed to visit an official technical delegation to see the Turkish dams, their storage and operational policy."[/size]
[size=45]Radi stressed, "Iraq has not obtained the green light from the Turkish side until the present time to visit the technical delegation, as well as the issue of water releases. We are still suffering from its scarcity, especially in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers."[/size]
[size=45]He stated, "The release rates did not witness the increase promised by the Turkish side," noting that "Iraq has two plans, the first is to use water releases from dams and reservoirs to meet the main requirements, which are agricultural land, which is the largest consumer, drinking water, and the share of the marshes, in addition to pushing the salt tongue for water. Shatt Al Arab.[/size]
[size=45]Radi continues, "This plan coincides with a second plan for water distributions, which relates to the management of distributions, the application of the Marashnah system, and the lifting of abuses in order to make the agricultural plan a success, secure water for it, and ensure that water reaches the areas located in the rivers that suffer from a crisis in access to water."[/size]
[size=45]He talked about "other measures related to re-drilling wells and rehabilitating a large part of them in areas where access to healthy water is difficult." Radi affirmed, "The only solution that the Ministry of Water Resources is working on in conditions of scarcity is to reduce the agricultural plan to 50%."[/size]
[size=45]He noted, "The marshes suffered from water scarcity, but within the ministry's plan, there are quantities that will reach them, but we suffer from some encroachments on the waterways."[/size]
[size=45]Radi added, "The sources of nutrition for the marshes are not only from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, so what concerns us as the Ministry of Water Resources, we work to provide a certain amount of this water to revitalize the marshes."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, water expert, Adel Al-Mukhtar, said that "observers warned of the water crisis and mentioned that drought will hit Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar added, "The problem is exacerbated today, through the displacement of many residents of the marshlands, in addition to the death of animals, and other things that we previously warned about."[/size]
[size=45]He renewed his call, to "reconsider agricultural plans, with the transition to modern irrigation systems," stressing that "those solutions can bridge the crisis in the marshes and southern governorates."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar explained, "Iraq is facing a new challenge, which is the possibility that the next winter will also be dry and not witness rain, and therefore we will be facing a tragic situation and the agricultural plan will be completely halted."[/size]
[size=45]He also called for "the establishment of the Supreme Agricultural Council, which includes a group of experts to develop strategic plans for approval and implementation by the relevant ministries."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar added, “The neighboring countries give the water file, because of its importance, in the hands of the head of state, and it should not remain in the hands of the Ministry of Water Resources and be transferred to the Prime Minister to use commercial, economic and military pressure cards in negotiations.”[/size]
[size=45]The Director of the National Center for Water Resources Management, Hatem Hamid, had said earlier, "Iraq is experiencing a water scarcity crisis that continues for the third year in a row due to the lack of water imports and the use of strategic water storage." Hamid added, “This year, accordingly, the winter and summer agricultural plans have been reduced by 50%, and there are water expenditures that have been prepared to ensure that water reaches the marshes.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "Unfortunately, the abuses on the waters of the marshes in some provinces have caused a decrease in quantities and a clear shortage," noting that "the Al-Hawizeh Marsh in particular was subjected to a decrease in its levels due to the cutting off of the Iranian side of the Karkheh River from the Iraqi side, and the releases are limited to the Al-Musharrah, Al-Kahla and Al-Awal rivers." It has many violations by citizens, and we are trying to remove it by communicating with the security services.”[/size]
[size=45]Hamid stressed, "The Iraqi side is communicating with the Iranian and Turkish sides with the aim of increasing water flows from the two countries and reducing the damage to scarcity."[/size]
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