Iraq and Serbia discuss cooperation in water resources and sustainable project implementation
Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab Abdullah discussed with Serbian Ambassador to Iraq Branislav Zezeij on Wednesday ways to enhance joint cooperation in the field of water resources and the implementation of sustainable projects.
The Ministry of Water Resources said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): that "Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab Abdullah received Serbian Ambassador to Iraq Branislav Zezeij to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation between the two countries in the field of water resources and the implementation of sustainable projects using the latest technologies and innovations."
"The meeting aimed to strengthen the partnership between Iraq and Serbia in the fields of water management, modern irrigation, addressing water challenges, and developing infrastructure. Opportunities to benefit from Serbian expertise in implementing projects that rely on advanced technology to improve the efficiency of water resource use were discussed."
According to the statement, the Minister of Water Resources emphasized "the importance of international cooperation to address water challenges," noting "Iraq's desire to benefit from the successful experiences of friendly countries, including Serbia, in the field of water basin management and smart irrigation technologies."
"Aoun extended an invitation to the Serbian ambassador to attend the Fifth Baghdad International Water Conference, which will host the 11th Irrigation and DrainageConference of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage from May 24 to 26 of this year."
For his part, the Serbian ambassador expressed his country's "readiness to support Iraq in developing the water sector and providing technical and training expertise to enhance national capabilities in this vital field."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
3 days ago
- Rudaw Net
Iraq, Turkey discuss water crisis amid claims of unmet release commitments
Also in Iraq Iraq arrests seven ISIS suspects in separate operations Iraq arrests 23 suspected ISIS members over plot to target Arbaeen pilgrims: Judiciary Chlorine leak sickens hundreds amid Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq Kurdish MP slams Baghdad for hypocrisy toward Erbil A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani on Sunday met with Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad Anil Bora Inan to discuss bilateral relations and a critical water-sharing agreement, as Iraq grapples with its most severe water crisis in decades. A statement from Mashhadani's office said the meeting addressed 'the water dossier and the necessity of continuing to pump Iraq's share of water, in addition to the agreed-upon additional releases.' For his part, the Turkish ambassador reaffirmed his country's commitment to cooperation with Iraq, stating that his country 'is open to Iraq on all political and economic files, and gives its interests priority over others.' He also asserted that the release of water quotas is 'proceeding according to what was agreed upon.' In early July, Turkey agreed to increase water releases into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by 420 cubic meters per second, following a meeting in Ankara between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Speaker Mashhadani. A statement from the Iraqi parliament at the time quoted Erdogan as 'responding positively' to Iraq's request, saying, 'Turkey shares what God has bestowed upon it with its brothers in Iraq and will not withhold it from them.' Iraq heavily depends on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for its water supply - both of which originate in Turkey. However, major dam projects in Turkey, including the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), have significantly reduced the flow of water into Iraq, contributing to severe drought, desertification, and environmental degradation. Iraq is currently receiving less than 40 percent of its historical water share. Following Erdogan's commitment, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani ordered 'the monitoring of flows, especially those entering northern Iraq across the borders [from Turkey],' the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) then-reported. INA further cited the Iraqi Water Minister Aoun Diab as emphasizing the importance of ensuring 'the extent of the Turkish side's adherence to President Erdogan's directives - especially since they came from the highest level.' The Sunday meeting notably came only days after Thaer al-Jabouri, a member of the Iraqi parliament's agriculture, irrigation, and marshlands committee, described the water situation as 'extremely dangerous,' accusing Ankara of failing to uphold the agreement. Turkey "has not committed to releasing Iraq's water shares,' he told Rudaw, adding that "the increase in water lasted only a few days and then returned to the same previous situation." Similarly, Ahmed Dubardani, a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council's agriculture and water committee last week attributed a dramatic drop in water levels at the Mosul Dam - one of Iraq's largest reservoirs - to both a dry winter and reduced water releases from Turkey. Iraq's water crisis is driven by a combination of factors, including climate change, declining rainfall, poor resource management, and upstream damming by neighboring countries. Compounding the crisis is the lack of a comprehensive water-sharing agreement with Turkey and Iran. As a result, Iraq remains exposed to unilateral upstream decisions that directly impact its water security. The World Resources Institute lists Iraq among the 25 countries facing 'extreme water stress,' meaning it is using more than 80 percent of its available water resources - leaving it highly vulnerable in the event of short-term droughts. Public frustration is also mounting. Southern provinces, especially Basra, have witnessed widespread protests in recent months over acute water shortages and pollution, increasing pressure on officials to secure long-term solutions.
Iraqi News
06-08-2025
- Iraqi News
Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announces release of over 31,000 under general amnesty
Baghdad ( – Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announced today, Wednesday (August 6, 2025), a new statistic regarding the implementation of the General Amnesty Law. The total number of individuals released from prisons and detention centers under the law has reached 31,452. In a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the judiciary revealed new figures related to the application of the amended General Amnesty Law No. 27 of 2016, a piece of legislation that was initially enacted as a measure for national reconciliation and addressing the grievances of individuals detained on certain charges. The statement also provided a broader scope of the law's impact, noting that the total number of individuals covered by its provisions—including those with outstanding arrest warrants, those on bail, and those sentenced in absentia—amounts to 128,936 people. In a significant financial outcome, the report highlighted that the total amount of money recovered through the law's implementation reached 27,808,576,458 Iraqi Dinars. This statistic underscores the dual effect of the law, which not only facilitates prisoner releases but also plays a role in the recovery of public funds. Iraq general amnesty, Supreme Judicial Council Iraq, prisoner release Iraq, Law No. 27 of 2016, Iraqi judiciary, funds recovered Iraq, national reconciliation Iraq, prison statistics Iraq,
Shafaq News
06-08-2025
- Shafaq News
Iraq's water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues
Shafaq News Iraq is spiraling deeper into a water crisis as climate extremes, state mismanagement, and declining river inflows from upstream neighbors threaten to push the country toward environmental and humanitarian breakdown. Water reserves, which once reached 21 billion cubic meters, have fallen by more than half in the span of a year. In southern Iraq, the consequences are becoming unmanageable. Entire villages near the Hawizeh Marshes have gone dry, forcing families to migrate, abandoning the only livelihood they have known. Environmental activist Mortada al-Janoubi said the disaster is being felt acutely in marshland areas, where livestock deaths have become routine. Speaking to Shafaq News, he explained that 'the crisis has led to mass buffalo deaths and growing hunger across marshland communities.' These losses are not only economic but cultural, as the Marsh Arabs—whose pastoral way of life has persisted for centuries—now face an existential threat. The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, in a public statement issued on July 24, confirmed that the country is facing one of its most water- stressed years in modern history. According to the ministry, 2025 is shaping up to be Iraq's driest year since 1933. The statement attributed the decline to both climate change—particularly low rainfall—and insufficient upstream water releases from Turkiye and Iran. The combined result has been catastrophic: inflows into the Tigris and Euphrates basins have dropped to 27% of last year's levels, while current reservoir storage stands at only 8% of total capacity. This marks a 57% drop compared to 2024. The ministry warned that such a steep decline is threatening water availability across all provinces, particularly in the center and south, and is severely impacting ecological systems in the marshes and along the Shatt al-Arab. At the heart of the crisis lies a tangle of policy failures. Former parliamentary adviser Adel al-Mukhtar pointed to decades of poor planning and what he described as "reckless cultivation" of water-intensive crops like rice and wheat. These agricultural policies, he argued, ignored basic environmental realities and were implemented without regard for long-term sustainability. Al-Mukhtar emphasized that Iraq's insistence on growing high-demand crops in the middle of a drought-prone landscape has exhausted the country's remaining reserves and intensified the structural fragility of its water system. As the water table drops, Iraq's major rivers—the Tigris and Euphrates—have experienced growing salinity and pollution, posing new threats to agriculture and public health. According to Member of Parliament Zozan Ali Kocher, losses in agriculture, fisheries, and herding are accelerating rapidly, particularly in the southern provinces, where scarcity is fueling poverty, displacement, and civil unrest. Kocher told Shafaq News that although the government has decided to reduce summer planting in order to conserve drinking water, this may not be enough. She warned that without immediate investment in infrastructure upgrades and strategic intervention by the state, Iraq may not be able to sustain even its winter crops, let alone feed its population year-round. International agreements, once seen as a possible solution, have so far yielded limited results. A recent bilateral understanding with Turkiye to release 400 cubic meters of water per second into Iraq's river system was initially welcomed as a breakthrough. But water expert Tahsin al-Musawi said the relief was mostly symbolic. In remarks to Shafaq News, he noted that the agreement lacked sufficient technical oversight and practical safeguards, resulting in large volumes of water being lost to evaporation during Iraq's punishing summer heat. According to al-Musawi, such outcomes are the predictable result of years of reactive governance, where short-term deals replace long-term planning. Meanwhile, Iraq's hydroelectric stations remain mostly idle due to low inflows, and in cities like Basra, residents now rely on water delivered by tanker trucks. These visible signs of systemic collapse illustrate how degraded infrastructure, inefficient use, and governance gaps are combining to compound the country's vulnerability. Al-Musawi urged a wholesale shift toward scientific water management, including the adoption of modern irrigation systems, the removal of illegal diversions, and a rethinking of agricultural priorities under worsening climate stress. In its official statement, the Ministry of Water Resources also issued a stark warning: unless upstream states increase water releases and internal reforms are enacted—including enforcement against illegal withdrawals and more efficient agricultural use—Iraq's water security may be placed in irreversible jeopardy. The ministry explicitly called for coordinated efforts to reduce overuse and misuse, and for urgent diplomatic engagement to prevent further escalation. The roots of Iraq's water crisis run deep. Decades of mismanagement by various ministries, compounded by political fragmentation and weak regulatory enforcement, have left the country vulnerable to both environmental shocks and diplomatic pressure. Agricultural policy, shaped by electoral expediency rather than ecological evidence, has perpetuated unsustainable practices. Meanwhile, regional water politics—especially with Turkiye and Iran—remain unresolved, limiting Iraq's ability to secure equitable water flows during drought years. According to environmental projections from international climate institutions, Iraq could see a 10 to 20 percent decline in annual rainfall by 2050, accompanied by a rise in temperatures of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. These shifts will drastically increase evaporation rates and reduce surface water availability, making every cubic meter of water more precious than ever. In this context, continued reliance on inefficient irrigation and water-hungry crops may lead to irreversible losses—not just in agriculture, but in health, urban stability, and energy security. While the Iraqi government has taken some reactive steps—such as planting restrictions, regional water appeals, and short-term import plans—these are no substitute for systemic reform. Without urgent reform, Iraq's future may be dictated not by war or oil—but by water.
