Negotiations with neighboring countries over water rights...without result!

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[size=52]Negotiations with neighboring countries over water rights...without result![/size]

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Iraq was attacked by an early drought, which portends a severe water scarcity in the coming summer, and threatens life in all of Iraq, specifically in the villages that live off the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Cutting off water to Iraq from the upstream countries is considered a major reason for the exacerbation of the crisis, and the Iraqi side had many negotiations in this regard, the latest of which is taking place now, described by specialists as “consumable and classic.”[/size]
[size=45]The Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani, discussed the water scarcity crisis and its effects on the humanitarian and agricultural reality, and the mechanisms to support the Ministry of Water Resources in its plans to address water scarcity, in addition to discussing diplomatic efforts in this framework, on the 2nd of this month, in the presence of each of the ministers of water resources. And construction, housing, municipalities, agriculture and the environment, the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, directors general in sectoral ministries, and representatives of the Council of Advisors.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani emphasized working on a number of solutions, including resorting to wastewater treatment technology and reusing it in irrigation, removing excesses on river water, discussing the plan, and making a decision to grant soft loans to farmers who use modern irrigation mechanisms, by relying on sprinkler and irrigation. drip.[/size]
[size=45]sovereign file[/size]
[size=45]The official spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources, Khaled Al-Shamal, states that “The Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Diab, briefed the Prime Minister from the beginning of the seriousness of the situation and the challenges facing the water file in the country, which made the latter put this file on his sovereign agenda instead of being a technician or a diplomat.” ".[/size]
[size=45]During the past week, the Iraqi side, headed by the Minister of Defense, Thabet Muhammad Saeed al-Abbasi, went to negotiate with the Turkish side, and persuade the latter to send and increase water launches, according to what the North said.[/size]
[size=45]Regarding these negotiations, the North expects, during his conversation with “Tariq al-Shaab,” that “there will be a response from the Turkish side, and even the Iranian and Syrian side, given that the current political and economic environment within these countries is ripe for negotiation.”[/size]
[size=45]Ministry movements internally[/size]
[size=45]He reveals the plan of the Ministry of the Interior, saying that “there will be an application of the murashah system, and securing water releases to support the winter agricultural season, by pumping additional releases from the storage, despite its weakness, and alternating between the dams of Mosul, Haditha, Dukan and Lake Tharthar, in order to enhance the revenues of the Tigris River,” stressing that the ministry Serious about raising abuses and holding those who transgress accountable in a way that deters others.[/size]
[size=45]And about the drought next summer, he points out that "the ministry will do what is required of it to address the problem," pointing to the role of the media in putting pressure on this aspect and exercising its role in raising awareness of guidance and consumption.[/size]
[size=45]“The worst reservoir”[/size]
[size=45]“Since the ninth month of last year, we expected that the summer would be very harsh, as we did not see rain in the coming months,” says the former advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture, Adel Al-Mukhtar.[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the analysis of part of the problem, he mentioned to “Tariq al-Shaab” that “most of the rain fell south of Samarra towards Basra, and these areas do not store rain, unlike the rain that falls north of Samarra towards the Turkish border,” pointing out that the storage resulting from the winter rain is less than 8 billion cubic meters, and it is considered a low storage,” describing it as the “worst” storage since 2017. He points out that “the expansion of the agricultural plan, and the increase of areas this year to an additional million, is an incorrect step, as it stimulated farmers to farm in large quantities, which caused consumption Large quantities of water with no rain to replace it.[/size]
[size=45]Ratios will not cure the crisis[/size]
[size=45]And speaking of the talks with the Turkish side, he points out that “it is difficult to supply Iraq with water, and if it is supplied, it will not exceed 100 cubic meters per second,” indicating that this percentage will not solve the crisis.[/size]
[size=45]It is believed that the disaster will happen if the next winter is also dry, as the next summer will be more dangerous and drier, and the impact will reach drinking water, and the agricultural sector may stop completely.[/size]
[size=45]He suggests “forming a crisis cell of experts outside the Ministries of Water Resources and Agriculture, since we did not seek solutions from them, and what we have reached today is very dangerous,” explaining that this came because of “the wrong policies of successive ministers, who directed their interests to agriculture at the expense of water quantities.” .[/size]
[size=45]In the same context, the water expert, Tahseen al-Moussawi, believes that “the ministries of agriculture and water resources made a big mistake, as the agricultural plan shrank at the beginning of last year, and after the rains, which he considered very little, the Ministry of Agriculture expanded the agricultural plan directly, and it reached four million, which It led to a large consumption of water from agricultural lands, in addition to the presence of a lot of encroached lands. In an interview with “Tariq al-Shaab”, he explains that “the reasons have become clear to everyone, from the depletion of the amount of water in the strategic storage, and the cessation of water releases from neighboring countries, with the failure to reach an agreement that guarantees that Iraq will obtain its water shares, especially from the Turkish side specifically, as it supplies country for the most part.[/size]
[size=45]“consumer” talk[/size]
[size=45]He finds that “talking about negotiations has become an outdated matter,” explaining the reason for the failure of the negotiations by “the existence of a major defect in the methods and methods adopted by the Iraqi side, in addition to the fact that the negotiator carries weak tools, so he cannot be at the rank of a minister in exchange for negotiating with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip.” Erdogan.”[/size]
[size=45]He adds that "there are multiple sources of decision-making in Iraq, with the absence of clear plans," noting that "Iraq must go to the international community, as it has become in a very dangerous situation."[/size]
[size=45]Anticipation of a popular movement[/size]
[size=45]He continues, "Iraq still relies on traditional mechanisms, which consume more water without awareness of the seriousness of the situation," stressing that "the coming days will be more difficult, as Turkey is increasing suffocation," believing that Iraq will not be able to withstand, and we expect an upcoming protest movement, since large numbers of people Citizens live on agriculture and other professions related to water.  [/size]
[size=45]He finds that talking about the talks with neighboring countries is “ridiculous,” and that they are just statements that come out of officials, as he takes the role of the citizen, submits a complaint, and proposes shameful solutions that do not rise to the importance of the crisis, describing these statements as “provocative.” It stresses the need for real political will and international support to resolve the crisis. Dhi Qar Governorate had the first share in the scarcity of drought, as the water project in Shatrah district stopped working on February 27. Naseer Baqer of Humat Dijla Organization, an activist from Dhi Qar Governorate, says, “Water scarcity began in the Euphrates River, the center of Dhi Qar Governorate, which is reflected in the secondary rivers in other cities, such as Al-Islah and Sayed Dakhil.” Al-Baqer hinted, in an interview with the “Tariq al-Shaab” correspondent, that “many water stations have stopped working due to the scarcity of water,” noting that the Turkish side cut off the water by almost 100 percent, which made the rivers storage areas and not running water.[/size]
[size=45]It will not have results[/size]
[size=45]Al-Baqer believes that “the Turkish side does not listen to its Iraqi counterpart,” stressing that “the Iraqi negotiator is not convincing and does not change his methods, so these talks will not have any positive results.” He added, however, that "there is no interest in the water and environment file in the country, as it is considered the last concern of governments," stressing the importance of activating the Riparian States Agreement, and putting pressure on Turkey and Iran through international laws.[/size]
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