Resources are waving using pressure cards to secure water rations

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]Resources are waving using pressure cards to secure water rations[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Hussein Hatem[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources hinted at using pressure cards towards neighboring countries, especially Turkey, in the event that they did not reach positive negotiations on the water file.[/size]
[size=45]She emphasized that 70 percent of the causes of the water crisis are external and 30 percent internal, while noting that Iraq's water reserves decreased from 60 billion to 7 billion cubic meters.[/size]
[size=45]Specialists warn of a harsh and dry summer, in the event of the continued absence of water revenues, and the scarcity of rain in the next winter season, suggesting that the crisis will reach drinking water.[/size]
[size=45]Khaled Shamal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources, said, "A high-level Iraqi delegation went to Turkey last week, in the presence of specialists from Iraqi ministries, to discuss the water crisis."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal added, "The Iraqi delegation tried to inform the Turkish side of the water situation in Iraq, and persuade the Turks to pay water releases to enhance the revenues of the Tigris River to start simple negotiations."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, “The Prime Minister is following and interested in the water file personally, and presided over three days ago the first session of the Supreme National Committee for Water, in the presence of the ministers of water resources, construction, housing, municipalities, agriculture and the environment, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, directors general in the sectoral ministries, and representatives of the advisory body.” to find out about the crisis.[/size]
[size=45]With regard to the Iranian side, a spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources explained, "The Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Diab, was in Iran early last week to discuss the water file, after meeting with a number of Iranian officials."[/size]
[size=45]And he stated, “The meeting discussed the file of the joint Iraqi rivers, and it was agreed to set up monitoring stations to measure the discharges of the waters of the rivers shared with Iran.”[/size]
[size=45]Last Sunday, Minister of Water Resources Awn Dhiab Abdullah announced that an understanding had been reached with the Iranian side regarding border rivers.[/size]
[size=45]Shamal continued, "In the event that negotiations with neighboring countries, especially Turkey, do not take place, we will have to use pressure cards and go towards the economic, security and social political files, as well as the nature of joint relations."[/size]
[size=45]And he added, “70% of the causes of Iraq’s water crisis are external and 30% of them are internal,” noting that “Iraq’s water reserves decreased from 60 billion to 7 billion cubic meters.”[/size]
[size=45]A spokesman for the Ministry of Resources confirmed that “drinking water storage is secured during the next summer,” adding, “it is difficult to secure an agricultural plan in the summer in the absence of water releases and rainwater.”[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the former advisor to the Agriculture, Water and Marshes Committee, Adel Al-Mukhtar, says, "The rains that fell in winter were critical and did not solve the drought crisis that had accumulated for three years."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The lack of revenues from neighboring countries, in addition to the agricultural plan that relies on irrigation, exacerbated the scarcity crisis," noting that "the abuses of the river basin are also one of the most important causes of drought."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar went on to say, “Since 2017, we have been calling for a review of the agricultural policy, as it is outdated and lacks modernity, and causes waste of large amounts of water.”[/size]
[size=45]The former advisor explained, “If the next winter is dry, we will have a drinking water crisis during the summer season that follows.”[/size]
[size=45]Last Thursday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani directed, during his presidency, the first session of the Supreme National Committee for Water, to address a number of solutions to alleviate the water scarcity crisis, including resorting to wastewater treatment technology and reusing it in irrigation, and removing excesses on river water.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani stressed that “water scarcity is a global crisis, not limited to Iraq only, and its treatment should not be limited to the Ministry of Water Resources, and it requires decisions that are implemented quickly,” noting that “there are legal and executive solutions that depend on dialogue with the source countries and on common interests.” cooperation with international organizations in this field.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]