Desertification swallows 55% of Iraq’s territory

Shafaq News- Baghdad

More than half of Iraq's territory is at risk of desertification, shrinking farmland, and accelerating migration from rural areas, raising concerns over the country's food and water security, the Green Iraq Observatory warned on Wednesday.

On the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the Observatory estimated that 96.5 million dunams of land —55.5% of Iraq's total area— are threatened by desertification. Another 40.4 million dunams, or 23.2% of the country, have already been desertified, a figure that has increased by nearly 49% since 2021.

"The environmental toll is increasingly visible across Iraq," it noted, pointing out that nearly 100,000 dunams of agricultural land are lost each year to salinity, desert encroachment, and soil degradation. Declining water supplies are also reducing the area suitable for cultivation.

Southern provinces, including Dhi Qar, Maysan, al-Muthanna, and al-Diwaniyah, rank among the hardest-hit regions. Dry irrigation canals and shrinking farmland have disrupted agricultural activity in dozens of villages, while falling water levels in the marshlands have damaged biodiversity and contributed to losses in fish stocks and livestock.

Read more: Iraq’s Green Belt: The race to forestall desertification

Although Iraq's western plateau is naturally desert, the observatory identified the spread of desert conditions into the fertile alluvial plain as a growing threat to agricultural production.

''Reduced flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, dams and irrigation projects in upstream countries, rising temperatures, declining rainfall, and higher evaporation rates have combined to accelerate land degradation,'' the report explained, adding that Iraq remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, placing further pressure on already strained water resources.

The impact is also reshaping communities. Thousands of farming families have left their homes in recent years after losing their livelihoods, increasing pressure on services and infrastructure in urban centers.

With some projections suggesting Iraq could experience up to 200 dusty days a year, the Observatory urged authorities to expand afforestation projects, rehabilitate degraded land, modernize irrigation systems, and intensify efforts to secure the country's water rights.

Read more: The Dying Land: Iraq's Environmental Emergency

1 hectare= 10 dunams