Water scarcity foreshadows a limited agricultural plan... and storage has lost 150 billion cubic met

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[size=52]Water scarcity foreshadows a limited agricultural plan... and storage has lost 150 billion cubic meters since 2019[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]Iraq is waiting for the snow melting season, which begins at the end of this week, with the hope of increasing its strategic water reserves. The Ministry of Water Resources spoke about a campaign it is carrying out in coordination with the relevant authorities to eliminate excesses and throw polluted materials, and it is likely that the agricultural plan for next summer will be very limited.[/size]
[size=45]"The rain, wherever it occurs, is beneficial and influential," said ministry spokesman Khaled Shamal, "and the wave that fell at the end of last week included several governorates."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal added, "These rains, which were in the northern region, were beneficial, specifically those that helped fill some dams and push releases."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The dams that will witness an increase due to this rain are the Dukan, Darbandikhan, Al-Azim and Hamrin dams."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal explained, "The areas that are south of the Samarra Dam did not all witness precipitation, but were in eight governorates." And he stated, "This wave achieved for us a large percentage of the last season called (weaning) for the winter season."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal pointed out, "Achieving irrigation by rain would relieve pressure on water reserves, and therefore we got free irrigation without depleting part of Iraq's strategic reserves."[/size]
[size=45]He noted, "The storage is in critical stages, and any irrigation due to rain or drainage will allow us to maneuver with this storage for the longest possible period."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal stressed, "Rain harvesting needs many facilities, and we have implemented many of them earlier, but they were not in the required number and level."[/size]
[size=45]And he stressed, "The ministry's plan for the current year includes many facilities related to water harvesting dams."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal stated, "The snow melting process will begin at the beginning of this month until next May, and this will achieve an increase in the water revenues of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the tributaries coming from Iran."[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, “This increase is absorbed in the storage lakes provided in front of the dams, and then benefited from them.”[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal continues, “Iraq suffers from the issue of water transgression, which takes several forms. The first picture is the transgression of the water share below the river.”[/size]
[size=45]And he warned, "This transgression occurs from one governorate to another, or from one section of farmers to others, and we have taken effective measures in coordination with the relevant authorities to hold the transgressors accountable."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal talked about “some abuses related to pollutants,” adding that “some government institutions and residents release pollutants.”[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, “The ministry was previously working to send additional water releases to reduce the percentage of pollutants, but this option is difficult at the present time, so we need everyone’s help in order not to release these pollutants, which include all governorates.”[/size]
[size=45]Shamal expressed, "The fear that multiple diseases will appear as a result of the exacerbation of pollutants, and we have procedures in coordination with the Ministry of Environment to file many lawsuits against the polluters, and some of them have been removed." He stated, "Formation of cells to manage the water scarcity crisis, each of which is headed by an employee with the rank of director general. Each cell performs its work in a specific governorate in order to remove abuses and secure water access."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal explained, "The agricultural plan is based on three indicators, in cooperation between our ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture.[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal went on to say, "If the water situation continues in the current form at the level of revenues, the next plan will be simple and limited to securing drinking water and other important uses."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Adel Al-Mukhtar, a specialist in water affairs, stated that “everyone started talking about the need to establish a National Council for Water Management, although this demand dates back to the first session of Parliament in 2006.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar added, "Iraq has reached the stage of danger, as its reservoir was 60 billion cubic meters in 2019, when that season witnessed floods and large waters coming from Turkey."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The current storage is about 7 billion cubic meters, and compared to what we wanted, we have wasted about 150 billion cubic meters."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar said, "The total amount of rain that came to Iraq did not exceed one billion cubic meters, and we do not believe that the amounts of rain that will fall during the remainder of the season are greater than that."[/size]
[size=45]He believes that “the agricultural plan cannot be based on rain forecasts,” expressing his surprise at the government’s “increased plan for the winter season as soon as it rains.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mukhtar concluded, “The water situation is very dangerous and we are facing a very difficult summer season, in conjunction with the failure to activate a previous memorandum of understanding signed with the Turkish side regarding sharing water damage, and this requires that the water management file be in the hands of the Prime Minister through the National Water Council.” .[/size]
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