Iraq’s Basra residents decry government inaction as water crisis deepens

Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister, Hayan Abdul Ghani, announced on Friday that government agencies and affiliated companies have launched a large-scale operation to provide drinking water to residents of Imam Al-Sadiq District in northern Basra amid a worsening water contamination crisis.

“Since early this morning, dozens of water tanker trucks from state-run oil companies and their contractors have been dispatched to the district to ensure that clean drinking water reaches every neighborhood,” Abdul Ghani told Shafaq News.

He said the distribution would continue into the night, while technical teams work urgently to repair damaged water pumps and address service gaps in coordination with local authorities.

The emergency intervention comes in response to an outcry from local residents, who have accused both the local and federal governments of neglecting the crisis.

On Friday, community activists called for the formation of an immediate “crisis cell” to tackle what they described as a “dangerous environmental disaster” polluting the Euphrates River.

“The people can’t take this neglect anymore,” said Sheikh Haitham al-Mansouri, a lead figure in the protest movement.

“Sending a few water tankers is not a solution. We demand the formation of a crisis cell with the full participation of the Basra Health Directorate, Environmental Directorate, Water Resources Department, Marine Sciences Center, and the technical teams at Basra Oil Company,” he added.

Al-Mansouri warned of an impending “popular explosion” if government agencies continue to ignore the problem. “People’s patience is running out, and if they erupt in anger, no one should be surprised,” he said.

For months, residents in northern Basra have protested environmental degradation caused by oil industry pollution and untreated waste dumped into rivers, leading to widespread health problems including skin and respiratory illnesses.