Water Resources: We lose 60% of our external water revenues

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[size=52]Water Resources: We lose 60% of our external water revenues[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources acknowledged that Iraq lost 60% of its external water revenues, calling on the upstream countries to coordinate the operation of their dams, stressing that the government is seeking joint management of the Tigris and Euphrates basins and ensuring a fair share in them.[/size]
[size=45]Iraq is still waiting for the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss a number of issues, most notably the water crisis.[/size]
[size=45]Turkey recently made a relative increase in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, while the Ministry of Water Resources announced that this increase helped stop the depletion of the reservoirs of the Mosul Dam.[/size]
[size=45]However, observers consider this increase to be small, stressing that it is not sufficient for the local need, especially in terms of domestic uses.[/size]
[size=45]A spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources, Khaled Shamal, said, "Water is a complex and very important file, and it is one of the Iraqi national security files."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal continued, "The Iraqi political, legislative and technical environment is appropriate and conducive to persuading water neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria to fair and just understandings regarding water sharing."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “Iraq is a country that receives water from these countries,” stressing that “70% of the total raw water revenues come from the neighborhood.”[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal said, "The focus is on the Turkish side, because 50% of these revenues come from Turkey."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The relations between Iraq and Turkey are strong and governed by common interests, ties, data and geography that imposed their existence."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal noted, "The lack of a binding agreement between Iraq and Turkey regarding water," stressing that "the current government headed by Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani, despite its short life, inherited large accumulations that are supposed to be resolved."[/size]
[size=45]He explained, "The Iraqi and Arab media are supportive of Iraq's historical rights in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal said, "These issues constituted strength factors towards persuading Turkey and Iran about sharing the damage on the common rivers."[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "The discussions with Turkish officials who recently visited Iraq regarding water were fruitful."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal continues, “The most important thing that was agreed upon is the continuation of the current water revenues of the Tigris River.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "Water was previously either a technical or diplomatic file and was discussed between the Ministries of Water Resources and Foreign Affairs. As for counterpart countries, it is a sovereign file linked to the supreme authority of the state."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal pointed out, "The file has been transformed during the current government into a sovereign file and is managed by the Prime Minister as the highest executive authority in Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "Iraq focuses on negotiating on three axes, the first is sharing the damage in the event of water scarcity, the second is strengthening joint management in the Tigris and Euphrates basins and their related tributaries, and the third is the comprehensive exchange of information."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal said, "The major Turkish projects and dams have become a reality, and we are currently concerned with dealing with this reality."[/size]
[size=45]He called, "to operate these dams in coordination with the Iraqi side, and not to be sudden and unconsidered decisions."[/size]
[size=45]Shamal warned, "Iraq still receives only 40% of its natural entitlement within the Tigris and Euphrates basins."[/size]
[size=45]And he added, “This means that we lose 60% of the external water revenues, and this percentage has clear effects on the agricultural sector, the marshes, the Shatt al-Arab environment, agricultural cover, and animal production.”[/size]
[size=45]Shamal spoke about "Iraq's endeavor to convince the Turkish side that the agreement lies in two important matters. The first is the joint management of the Tigris and Euphrates basins, and the second is ensuring the minimum fair share for Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "Since this file has turned into a sovereign one, it will contain a technical, diplomatic, political, security and economic aspect."[/size]
[size=45]And Shamal concluded, “Bringing these aspects together in a clear negotiating framework makes us engage in water dialogues that include a wide range of factors that collectively represent national sovereignty.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Tahsin al-Moussawi, a specialist in water affairs, stated that “the water crisis in Iraq cannot be borne by Turkey alone.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi continued, “Iran cut off 43 tributaries and rivers for us, starting from Karun, Karkheh, Sirwan, Zab, and Diyala.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that "Iraq suffers from weakness in negotiating, whether it is negotiating with Turkey or dialogue with Iran."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi explained, “The United States, although Iraq has an agreement for framework and strategic cooperation, did not provide it with assistance in its water crisis with neighboring countries.” He believes that “the water crisis requires a national will to address it,” stressing that “the issue is not only related to the prime minister.” Al-Musawi called for "disclosing the actual storage of water," revealing that "Iraq has more than 150 billion empty cubic meters."[/size]
[size=45]He criticized, “the weakness of the Turkish releases, despite their recent increase,” noting that “500 cubic meters per second on the Tigris River is not enough for agriculture, human consumption, or restoring life to the marshes.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi concluded, “The water file is a complex that does not only concern the Ministry of Water Resources, but all ministries, in addition to Parliament and the political actor, participate in it, especially with the absence of a Supreme Council for Water Policies, even though we are in a suffocating crisis.”[/size]
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