Nationwide water emergency urged as Iraq’s reserves plunge to 8%

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Baghdad must declare a nationwide “water emergency” as drought is depleting reservoirs, crippling agriculture, and threatening food security, an Iraqi lawmaker pressed on Monday.

Iraq’s strategic water reserves have dropped to just 8%, while inflows from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers stand at only 27% of last year’s levels. Provinces such as Dhi Qar have sharply reduced winter cultivation, and the Ministry of Environment estimates that 60% of Iraq’s land area is now affected by desertification.

Experts and government officials attribute the crisis to upstream dams in Turkiye and Iran, poor management, and outdated irrigation systems. The government has begun cracking down on illegal water use, describing the campaign as an emergency step to preserve the country’s remaining supplies.

In a letter to the Minister of Water Resources, MP Al-Kalabi—who sits on Parliament’s Finance Committee—called on the Council of Ministers to adopt a comprehensive national plan to confront the crisis. The proposed plan includes diplomatic action with upstream countries, tighter control of municipal wastewater, coordinated health and environmental measures, increased funding for the Ministries of Water Resources and Agriculture, and compensation for farmers facing irrigation cuts.

Noting that agriculture employs more than 40% of Iraq’s workforce, Al-Kalabi warned that the lack of clean drinking water and viable farmland is accelerating rural-to-urban migration, especially in the drought-stricken south.