After the first package of irrigation projects, Iraq launches the first project to update the water

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[size=52]After the first package of irrigation projects, Iraq launches the first project to update the water strategy[/size]

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2024-08-28
With the summer season coming to an end and Iraq occupying the highest temperature scale recorded globally, and the upstream countries continuing to not give Iraq its fair share of water, the water crisis is now warning of an imminent disaster surrounding the country.[/size]
[size=45]After the first package of water and irrigation projects, the Ministry of Water Resources announced today, Wednesday, the launch of the first update project for the country’s water resources strategy, while confirming its implementation through a specialized international coalition.[/size]
[size=45]Iraq loses 100 square kilometers of agricultural land annually due to desertification. A report issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources concludes that severe droughts expected until 2025 will lead to the complete drying up of the Euphrates River in its southern sector, while the Tigris River will turn into a waterway with limited resources.[/size]
[size=45]Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab said during a press conference that “the project will be implemented by a specialized international coalition with the participation of all ministries and bodies concerned with the water sector in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “This project is a crucial step in our national journey towards mobilizing sustainability in the management of these vital resources and a roadmap towards a sustainable future, especially in light of the major challenges we face with water scarcity and its potential impact on various aspects of life.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that "water resources are not just the basis of life, but rather a vital artery for the sustainability of economic, social and environmental development in light of the rapid climate changes and the growing population increase on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed the need to “update the strategic study to keep pace with these changes and adapt to the new facts on the ground.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “this study is of great importance as it represents a scientific and practical guide to finding integrated management of water and land resources, which is a flexible mechanism that enables the government to plan effectively and sustainably for the use of these resources in facing current and future challenges.”[/size]
[size=45]On August 26, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed the launch of the first package of water and irrigation projects within the framework agreement between Iraq and Turkey, signed between the two sides last April, which includes 13 projects, in addition to the projects that fall within the investment plan.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani stressed that “launching these projects will provide new management for the water file,” indicating “the importance of focusing on treatment plants, sewage projects, water resources projects, and strategic projects, as well as the necessity of studying agricultural reclamation and irrigation projects, and water retention dams through a group of relevant ministries, and forming technical teams in each ministry to choose future strategic projects.”[/size]
[size=45]The projects were distributed as follows: 6 projects within the Ministry of Water Resources, 5 projects within the responsibility of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Municipalities, and 2 projects within the Ministry of Agriculture. They varied between irrigation network reclamation projects, closed irrigation systems, main and branch canal drainage projects, or dams for water storage.[/size]
[size=45]On August 12, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that Iraq had lost 60% of its river-irrigated agricultural land due to drought.[/size]
[size=45]On May 12, the Parliamentary Water and Marshlands Committee revealed that Turkey had not implemented the agreement on fair water shares, calling on the government to exploit the decisions of the Arab Summit held in Manama to ensure that it obtains its water rights from Turkey.[/size]
[size=45]The final statement of the Arab Summit held in the Bahraini capital, Manama, on May 16, stressed that Arab water security is an integral part of Arab national security, especially for the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Sudan, and stressed the rejection of any action or procedure that affects their rights to the Nile waters, as well as for the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Iraq with regard to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and solidarity with them in taking whatever measures they see fit to protect their security and water interests, expressing deep concern about the continuation of unilateral measures that would harm their water interests.[/size]
[size=45]On April 22, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the capital, Baghdad, on his first visit in 13 years. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani described Erdogan’s visit to Iraq as “not a passing visit,” and that it would include, for the first time, finding solutions instead of postponing crises. Meanwhile, Iraq signed 26 agreements and memoranda of understanding with Turkey related to various fields, most notably the water resources management agreement.[/size]
[size=45]Despite the official welcome, the agreement has angered water experts because it did not end the dispute over whether the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are “local” or “international,” and because it was unclear how much water would be released to Iraq, as Ankara considers the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to be local Turkish rivers, not international rivers.[/size]
[size=45]A report issued by UNESCO on April 1 warned that Iraq would face a water war by 2050.[/size]
[size=45]Rising temperatures in Iraq have led to a significant decrease in annual rainfall, which currently stands at 30 percent, and this decrease is expected to reach 65 percent by 2050.[/size]
[size=45]Raising buffaloes has become a burden on the breeders, as the absence of green pastures has led to an increase in the price of “vegetable fodder” from 300,000 dinars per ton to 800,000.[/size]
[size=45]Experts believe that Iraq is heading towards an environmental disaster if the situation continues as it is now. This will be a humanitarian disaster for Mesopotamia, and consequently the migration of the countryside to the city in light of the failure of current solutions. It is better for the Iraqi authorities to move towards a new national strategy that works to rationalize the use of water, draw up a new irrigation policy for agricultural lands, determine the quotas of the governorates, and work seriously to stop the violations that exist in some of them.[/size]
[size=45]Iraq has been complaining for years about the unfair water policies pursued by Turkey, through the construction of many dams on the Tigris River, which has caused a decline in its water shares, and also Iran, through the diversion of the course of more than 30 rivers within its territory to prevent them from reaching Iraqi territory. In addition, the problem of drought and lack of rain during the last four years has exacerbated the country's environmental and agricultural conditions.[/size]
[size=45]The total volume of water received from the Tigris and Euphrates decreased significantly from 93.47 billion cubic meters in 2019 to 49.59 billion cubic meters in 2020, primarily due to the actions of upstream countries.[/size]
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