One-week ultimatum: Iraq's Basra residents demand action on water salinity

Shafaq News – Basra

Residents of Al-Sharish subdistrict in northern Basra protested on Sunday over worsening water salinity, warning they will escalate their actions if authorities fail to respond within a week.

Protesters told Shafaq News the situation has become “unbearable,” saying the water is no longer suitable for drinking or agriculture and has led to rising illnesses, crop failures, and livestock deaths. They accused local authorities of repeatedly promising solutions without delivering results.

Demonstrators demanded faster completion of the central filtration and desalination plant in al-Qurna district, designed to produce 6,000 cubic meters of treated water per hour. They said bringing the facility online would provide clean water and curb the environmental and agricultural damage spreading across the district.

“The governor has one week to resolve the issue,” they warned, adding that the deadline will be followed by broader protest actions — potentially including sit-ins or road closures — if officials continue, in their words, to “delay without implementation.”

Basra has been facing one of Iraq’s most severe water emergencies, driven by saltwater intrusion from the Gulf, reduced freshwater inflow, and years of infrastructure failures. Earlier this year, Iraq’s Green Observatory described pollution levels as the “worst in decades,” reporting that untreated, algae-filled, and worm-contaminated water had reached residential homes.

In recent months, residents across several Basra districts have held demonstrations, blocking roads and demanding immediate intervention to address the deepening crisis.

Read more: Basra’s lifeline poisoned: Salinity and pollution threaten Iraq’s south