Iraq loses 60% of its water benefits and turns to modern irrigation and a new agricultural plan

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[size=52]Iraq loses 60% of its water benefits and turns to modern irrigation and a new agricultural plan[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Hussein Hatem[/size]
[size=45]The absence of binding agreements for neighboring water countries, climate changes, in addition to the irrigation projects of neighboring countries, are all factors that have exacerbated the “drought crisis” in Iraq, which depends for 70% of its revenues on Iran, Turkey, and Syria.[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry of Water Resources’ top priorities are the water file, securing drinking water, and domestic uses, as well as the agricultural plan and environmental preservation, while specialists warn of the worsening water scarcity crisis. Iraq will reach stages of greater pressure if negotiations fail again, and the water file is not internationalized.[/size]
[size=45]Ministry of Water Resources spokesman Khaled Shamal says, “The water file in Iraq is very complex, as more than 70% of water revenues come from outside Iraq, from Turkey, Iran, and Syria.”[/size]
[size=45]Shamal added, “The negotiating rounds have been going on for a long time, and the government of Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani has strengthened those negotiations and turned them into a sovereign file,” noting that “those negotiations contributed to water releases more than once in the Tigris River as well as in the Euphrates River.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, “Iraq has been greatly affected by water scarcity. As a result of the absence of binding agreements for neighboring water countries with Iraq, as well as climate changes that pushed Iraq to be at the forefront of countries affected by drought, in addition to the irrigation projects implemented by neighboring countries and their negative impact on Iraq’s water revenues.”[/size]
[size=45]A spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources pointed out, “Iraq receives less than 40 percent of its water entitlements, meaning we are losing 60 percent of water entitlements, and this in turn affects the agriculture, industry, electricity, and drinking water sectors.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained, “There are four priorities for the Ministry of Water Resources to manage raw water, which is securing drinking water, which is fully secured. The second priority is securing water for domestic uses. The third priority is the agricultural plan, and the fourth priority is preserving the environment.”[/size]
[size=45]Shamal stated that his ministry “has a body concerned with investing groundwater in scientific ways,” noting that “the water file is the government’s top priority since it assumed its duties in October 2022.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “there is a tendency to use modern irrigation methods by the Ministry of Agriculture,” pointing out that “the agricultural plan will be approved according to three indicators. The first depends on what is in the strategic reserves, and the second depends on what is coming to Iraq in terms of revenues and expected rains. The third indicator is Global market indicators, supply and demand, and the nature of the crops that Iraq focuses on.”[/size]
[size=45]Shamal continued, “There is an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture that includes 3 million dunums, one million irrigated from groundwater, and a million and a half irrigated from surface water, and the remainder is for orchard areas.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, water affairs researcher Tahseen al-Moussawi says, “Successive governments did not heed the continuous warnings about the drought crisis that began to worsen in Iraq,” and he was surprised by “the Supreme Council’s failure to approve water policy.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued, “The water negotiations have all failed, and the situation may get worse after the migration of rural residents to the city, the reduction of the agricultural plan, and the threat to drinking water.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Moussawi added, “There is poor planning and management of the water file. “The result of the composition of the political process based on quotas.”[/size]
[size=45]The researcher in water affairs pointed out that “there are many projects, but they failed due to lack of sustainability,” stressing that “the situation is very dangerous, and the pressure will be greater if the water file is not internationalized.”[/size]
[size=45]In recent years, Iraq has suffered from a severe water shortage due to lack of rainfall and reduced water supplies from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.[/size]
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