Water Resources: The current reservoir void is 10 times the capacity of the Mosul Dam

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]Water Resources: The current reservoir void is 10 times the capacity of the Mosul Dam[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources estimated the storage space in Iraq at 100 billion cubic meters, pointing out that these quantities are equivalent to ten times the capacity of the Mosul Dam, denying the need to build new dams, stressing that the current problem is not related to how to store it, but rather to the lack of imports, especially from neighboring countries.[/size]
[size=45]This comes at a time when warnings of an exacerbation of the drought crisis come with the onset of the summer season, and experts talk about access to drinking water, stressing that government measures are not commensurate with the size of the threat threatening the country.[/size]
[size=45]The government had stressed at that time the need for the international community to provide assistance to Iraq in saving the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, due to the water policies of neighboring countries, which had established projects that contributed to diminishing revenues to the lowest limits.[/size]
[size=45]Khaled Shamal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources, says, "The talk that is being discussed that Iraq needs dams is unscientific and far from reality."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal added, "Iraq is an estuary country for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and it receives water from Turkey, Syria and Iran."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The basis of Iraq's problem is in revenues," denying at the same time, "the existence of a water storage problem."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal said, "The storage vacuum in Iraq reaches 100 billion cubic meters, and this is ten times the equivalent of the Mosul Dam."[/size]
[size=45]And he stressed, "The reasons for the revenues are the policies of neighboring countries by establishing major projects, whether they are dams, reclamation, or diverting the paths of rivers and canals, and these projects have harmed Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal added, "Iraq receives only less than 35% of the natural entitlement of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers."[/size]
[size=45]He stated, "The second reason is the climatic variables that affected water revenues, and Iraq has been ranked fifth as the country most affected by these variables."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal added, "The most domestic water consumer is the agricultural sector, which is still using methods that depend on water abundance and has not yet reached the stage of searching for mechanisms to deal with when there is scarcity."[/size]
[size=45]Waad, "All field irrigation methods are still primitive and unrealistic according to the current data of the existing water reserves."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal concluded, "The government has paid attention to this matter and is heading to link farmers' support to the use of modern irrigation methods and methods."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Tahseen al-Moussawi, a researcher in water affairs, said that "Iraq has fallen into a prohibited situation as a result of not listening to advice about the continuous decline in the water file."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi continued, "The work of successive governments is limited to engaging in discussions, and it has not yet reached the stage of negotiations on water."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The important shift that has occurred recently is climate change and the classification of Iraq as the fifth country affected by it."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi said, "The country is going through the fourth consecutive season of drought," and believes that "the reservoirs are close to drying out."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "The drop in strategic water storage is the lowest in Iraq's history, reaching 7 billion cubic meters, and droughts and migration will increase."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Musawi finds that “the situation of the Euphrates River will be more difficult,” and he promised, “the government visit to Turkey recently that it was not successful.”[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "What happened was firing for one month, which included the Tigris River only, without including the Euphrates."[/size]
[size=45]And Mousawi added, "Turkey deals with the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as one basin, and this is a big problem."[/size]
[size=45]And he went on to say that “the revenues of the Euphrates River come from the Turkish side through Syria in a complete manner,” stressing that “the situation in the Tigris is better given that it feeds on internal revenues and common sources with the Iranian and Turkish side, despite Iran’s cutting off of water supplies as well.” .[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi added, "The competent authorities are using the dead part of the stockpile in Haditha Dam and the lakes that feed the Euphrates."[/size]
[size=45]He believes that "Lake Habbaniyah has become out of service, when it comes to talking about grazing and other activities of an agricultural nature."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi expressed his "regret that the solutions proposed by the official authorities are not at the level of the threat that threatens Iraq, public health, food security, farmers and fishermen."[/size]
[size=45]And he warned, of "the transfer of risks to drinking water after we moved away from thinking about agriculture and other risks, and we have reached a stage of desertification that cannot be dealt with, especially as it has reached advanced stages and requires large budgets."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi added, "The whole world is talking about the danger of the water crisis in Iraq and the concerns expressed by the United Nations."[/size]
[size=45]And he advised, "The government not to wait for aid to come from the international community, but rather there should be movement, settling Iraq's quotas, and sharing the damage with neighboring countries."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi noted that "solutions should be developed on the internal level as well, and the issue is not limited to the external side."[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "This is by removing the overflowing lakes and projects that drain water and exploitation outside the irrigation and irrigation stations using old methods and moving away from modern technical means and the need to address the large percentages of waste."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi went on to say, "The internal water file needs a new structure, so that neighboring countries do not focus on it when they take measures that are harmful to Iraq's interest and deprive it of its shares in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers."[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that Iraq has been going through dry seasons since the last rainy year in 2019, and despite the fact that quantities of rain fell during the last winter season, it did not fill the need, because most of it was in the central and southern regions and was used in irrigation of the agricultural plan, improving the environment of the Shatt al-Arab, and raising levels marshes.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]