Iraq’s water reserves may run dry by August, watchdog warns
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s current water reserves may last only until August if high consumption and limited upstream releases continue, the Iraq Green Observatory warned on Monday.
In a statement, the environmental watchdog said recent rainfall will not sustain agricultural and domestic demand beyond late summer, despite earlier forecasts that this year could resemble the unusually wet 2019 season, when Iraq accumulated enough reserves to cover more than two years.
“Turkiye is refusing to release additional water flows toward Iraq,” it accused, calling the stance “negative” and describing it as punitive toward the Iraqi people. It noted that a recent phone call between caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed bilateral cooperation but did not yield commitments to increase water releases to boost levels in the Tigris and Euphrates, improve water quality, or replenish marshlands and reservoirs.
The group urged authorities to curb excessive agricultural consumption by expanding modern irrigation systems and better harness rainfall.
It also pointed to a pilot project in Baghdad to introduce smart water meters in selected districts before nationwide rollout, alongside expanded use of sprinkler irrigation. Around 3.5 million dunams are currently irrigated using modern techniques, the observatory said.
