Iraq urges Turkiye to act in ‘most severe' water scarcity in decades
Iraq's Water Resources Minister Aoun Diab called on Turkiye to increase river releases as the country faces its 'most severe' water crisis in decades, citing a sharp drop in rainfall and a continued decline in upstream inflows.
Meeting on Sunday with Turkish Ambassador Anil Bora Inan, Diab warned of mounting challenges exacerbated by climate change and stressed the urgent need for cross-border cooperation to alleviate worsening water scarcity.
To mitigate the drought 's impact, Diab outlined Iraq's emergency measures, including a sweeping campaign to remove unauthorized water usage, banning summer crop cultivation, and restricting irrigation to limited horticulture and raw water supply for treatment plants.
He also emphasized protecting the country's ecological balance by maintaining minimum environmental flow in rivers, reducing salinity in Shatt al-Arab, and preserving the biodiversity of the southern marshes.
Inan, in turn, expressed Ankara's willingness to exchange technical expertise and support water harvesting projects using advanced dam technologies, reiterating his country's commitment to implementing provisions of the recently signed bilateral water framework agreement.
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