Drought in the land of the Two Rivers - World - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

17-07-2025

Iraq could lose 90 per cent of its water resources by 2035 if current trends persist alongside accelerating climate change, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti from Baghdad.
No one in Iraq ever imagined that the land of the Two Rivers, where history was born on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, would one day face a water crisis. But reality today is harsher than any fiction: the two rivers of Iraq are drying up, water bodies are evaporating, and people are leaving their villages in search of a single drop.
According to Iraq's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, the flow of the Euphrates has dropped by more than 60 per cent compared to its average before 2000. The Tigris, too, has lost about 50 per cent of its flow over the past two decades. United Nations reports warn that Iraq could lose 90 per cent of its water resources by 2035 if current regional water policies persist alongside accelerating climate change.
Between 2020 and 2024, Iraq recorded four consecutive years of severe drought. The country is now ranked among the top five nations worldwide most vulnerable to climate change, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Last winter was the driest in 70 years. Rainfall was scarce, and summer temperatures exceeded 53°C in many cities in the south of the country.
Torhan Mufti, an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister on water affairs, told Al-Ahram Weekly that 'this is not just bad weather. It's a climatic shift threatening the sustainability of life.'
Evaporation has increased, while rainfall has become rare and unpredictable, meaning that water disappears before it can be stored or used. 'Iraq's water crisis is no longer just a supply issue. It's affecting daily life and may impact the economic, environmental, and even political security of Iraq and the region,' Mufti said.
'Climate change does not recognise borders between countries, so what affects us will also affect neighbouring states. Collective action is imperative to maintain overall regional stability.'
Iraqi environmental activist Jassim Al-Asadi, who works on the issue of the southern marshes of Iraq, said that only three per cent of the planet's water is fresh and only 0.6 per cent is fit for human use.
The Arab world suffers from acute water scarcity. Iraq, in particular, faces a dangerous decline in Tigris and Euphrates inflows, combined with high consumption and inefficient management. 'Water reserves have dropped alarmingly,' Al-Asadi said. 'And the southern marshes – the cradle of civilisation – are suffocating from drought.'
No discussion of Iraq's water crisis would be complete without examining the roles of Turkey and Iran. Turkey continues to implement the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP Project), which includes the construction of more than 20 dams, most notably the Ilisu Dam that began partial operations in 2018 and drastically reduced inflows of water into Iraq from the Tigris River.
Meanwhile, Iran has diverted the Sirwan River and dammed other tributaries, leading to the drying up of rivers in the Diyala and Maysan Provinces of Iraq. Despite official statements from both countries denying any intentional restriction of Iraq's water share, the absence of binding agreements leaves Iraq facing an uncertain future.
In Basra, where the Tigris and Euphrates meet before flowing into the Gulf, seawater has encroached on the Shatt Al-Arab due to reduced river discharge, causing unprecedented salinity levels.
In the summer of 2018, more than 100,000 people were poisoned due to contaminated drinking water. Resident Zeinab Othman from Abu Al-Khasib said that 'everything has turned salty – the water, the soil, even the air. We can't grow crops, we can't bathe, we can't drink. Is this justice?'
Years have passed, but the situation has barely improved. The city is still searching for water that will not harm its residents.
Data from the International Organisation for Migration shows that more than 40,000 people were internally displaced in Iraq between 2022 and 2024 due to water-related environmental reasons. Entire villages abandoned agriculture and livestock. Some former residents moved to major cities, while others left the country entirely.
Agriculture, once employing over one-fifth of the Iraqi workforce, has declined catastrophically. Wheat and barley fields have shrunk by up to 75 per cent in some seasons, and Iraq's iconic palm trees now face serious threats.
Not all of Iraq's water crisis is external. The country suffers from outdated and crumbling irrigation systems, which waste more than 60 per cent of water through open canals. Lack of maintenance and modernisation means that even the little water that is available is often lost before it reaches its destination.
Proposed solutions such as drip irrigation and desalination plants remain at the experimental stage or lack sufficient funding, even as Iraq desperately needs a comprehensive national plan and real investment.
Some efforts to address the crisis are underway. Civil society organisations are raising environmental awareness, especially among young people. Government calls for water law reforms, the expanded use of modern irrigation technology, and fair regional agreements are growing louder.
Activist Mohamed Ali said that 'there is hope, but it needs political courage, a national plan, real funding, and transparency.'
The late Iraqi poet Muzaffar Al-Nawab once wrote that 'when the river dries, life dries.' Today, that river is on the verge of becoming a question without an answer.
Iraq's water crisis is no longer just an environmental story. It is the story of a nation that is redefining itself in the face of existential threats. It is a tale of a history that is evaporating and a future that is awaiting those who write it, with a drop of water, or a long, bitter drought.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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