Resources: The recent rains reduced competition for water and did not achieve an increase in storage

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[size=52]Resources: The recent rains reduced competition for water and did not achieve an increase in storage[/size]

[size=45]After the recent rains that Iraq witnessed after three dry years, the Ministry of Water Resources believes that these rains did not achieve a rise in water storage, as it was invested in pushing the salt tongue and watering agricultural crops. On the other hand, the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee warns of the indiscriminate extraction of groundwater in light of the continuing crisis and the reduction of the area designated for agriculture during the winter season.[/size]
[size=45]Ali Radi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources, says, "The rains that fell recently did not achieve a rise in water storage," noting that "their fall concentrated in the central and southern regions of the country."[/size]
[size=45]Radi added, "Rainfall in the center and south does not achieve a rise, but it positively affects agricultural areas and reduces competition for water."[/size]
[size=45]And the spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources continued his speech, that "the ministry invested rainwater in rivers and proceeded to direct it to areas that suffered from water scarcity in southern Iraq and the marsh areas and pushed the salt tongue in Basra."[/size]
[size=45]Rady pointed out, "The rainfall in the northern part of the country is what achieves an increase in water reserves, and we hope that this will happen in the coming days."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that "the ministry has followed up on the delivery of water rations to all beneficiaries, especially to all the governorates of Al-Dha'ib, which are usually more affected by water scarcity and lack of water revenues due to many factors, including abuses of the water quota."[/size]
[size=45]Rady indicated that his ministry “has launched a major campaign to remove these abuses and prevent water pollution by throwing waste, residues and products of throwing water without treatment.”[/size]
[size=45]The ministry's spokesman pointed out that "the process of removing the abuses was supported by central directives from the Prime Minister, the Supreme Judicial Council and the relevant security authorities, to ensure the fairness of these distributions and the access of water to all beneficiaries."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Thaer Makhaif, a member of the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, says, “The areas of the agricultural plan, which talks about 3,500,000 dunams, will be irrigated in three ways, the first of which is the demi-guaranteed rain line, then the lands that are cultivated by floods, as well as the lands that have been replaced by wells.”[/size]
[size=45]Makhaif pointed to "the existence of a reservoir of one billion cubic meters in the depths of Iraqi lands," warning of "the random extraction of groundwater, which may lead to waste, just as there was waste in irrigation irrigation."[/size]
[size=45]And the Ministry of Agriculture announced earlier that the official agricultural plan for this year is estimated at 5,500,000 dunams, noting that it relied on three sources to irrigate the areas of its winter plan.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the specialist in water and agricultural affairs, Adel Mukhtar, believes that “there is no rise in water levels, but the rains have dispersed for us the issue of the expected watering of wheat.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar added, "The water resources that were formed from the rains from Samarra and above went to the reservoirs, and there is no problem with them because they are subject to the rule of dams."[/size]
[size=45]And he continued, “As for the other side, to the south, the water went to the marshes and watered the crops, and the last part was directed to the needs of the citizens there.”[/size]
[size=45]The specialist in water affairs explained, “Some may explain the high levels because the farmer was content with rainwater and did not need to use irrigation for watering, but the matter is considered a temporary stage,” noting that “the resources reduced water releases because there was no need for water for irrigation.”[/size]
[size=45]Iraq has recently witnessed a significant decline in the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, especially in the southern governorates, which prompted human rights organizations and trade unions to warn of significant effects on the agricultural sector and the possibility of stopping some drinking water stations in those governorates.[/size]
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