Mr Naja looks relaxed about his own security, but he has moved his wife and five sons and daughters to Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, not only for their safety but because he wants his children to go to good schools not available locally. This combined with decades of decreasing rainfall levels, predicted to only get worse with climate change, has created a severe lack of clean water in Basra. A decline in water levels, particularly in Shatt Al-Arab created by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, has meant a greater levels of Gulf saline water mixing into the fresh water of the river. Additionally, highly salinized water damages soil and kills crops, a significant issue in Basra where agriculture is the primary method of sustenance. Although the water crisis in Iraq seems dire, steps are already being taken to rectify it. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes, A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC, An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution, A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors, State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya, A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California, Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Turkey and Iran are already holding back water from the Tigris and Euphrates to feed their growing population in a warming climate. Water shortage, particularly in southern Iraq where temperatures in the southern provinces rises in the summer to as high as 130 or even 140 degrees Fahrenheit, has driven families to spend as much as $56 a month for bottled water. Basra relies mostly on the Shatt al-Arab river and its smaller canals for water. Through this system, water is collected at the base of hills and transported to fields by a network of wells. Water pours in Al Bida water tanks project in Basra. For several years now, the Middle East, and particularly Iraq, has been suffering from a dire water crisis, compounded by the decrease in water quantities from rivers flowing from upstream to downstream countries. Finally, they promise to train Iraqi engineers and technical personnel on wastewater treatment and hydrology. The Johns Hopkins Press, 1952, p. 183. MEMRI is a 501(c)3 organization. This amount is set to increase this year because the filling of the Ilisu dam in Turkey is forcing the Iraqi government to restrict the growing of rice and wheat by farmers in order to conserve water used for irrigation. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia, The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, July 16, 2009. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy, Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead, People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad, An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel, Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai, People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California, Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu. One of them is 23-year-old Abdelrahman Mansour, also from Radwaniya. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. However, upstream damming has diverted river water for use on sugar plantations and other agricultural projects. Through these efforts, the water crisis in Iraq may be alleviated. Mr Janabi shows a report on how to successfully manage water in Iraq over the next 20 years. The construction of dams and water storage plants on the two rivers and their tributaries, by Turkey in particular and to a lesser extent by Syria and Iran, have been the main cause for water shortage in Iraq. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Completed in 1993, it presently generates 8.9 billion kWh in electricity and is responsible for opening more than 180,000 acres of farmland to irrigation in the Harran plain. The construction of the dam would have meant "flooding the archeologically significant, ancient city of Hasankeyf on the Tigris River as well as the enforced relocation of more than 10,000 people. '. Government neglect: Years of war and conflict have deflected government attention from the water sector. In his testimony he warned: "Increased water contamination due to inadequate treatment is costly in terms of public health, child mortality, communicable diseases, salinization of agricultural land, and reduced fish catch." Iraqis are all too aware that the failing supply of water is changing the very appearance of their country. Such floods are now a thing of the past – the last was in 1988 – and each year the amount of water taken by Iraq’s neighbours has been rising. “I used to plant 52 hectares of land or even 60. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. “Our livelihoods were always dependent on farming. This phenomenon, according to the ministry of water resources, means the spread of sand dunes and changes in the weather, in addition to the reduction of natural grazing, the deterioration of water quality, and the increase of pollution. The war in Iraq has resulted in the destruction of infrastructure necessary for potable water, such as dams and treatment plants. Source: Potential Water Conflict in the Middle East, 'Kayhan' Editor Shariatmadari To Trump: The IRGC Will Take Revenge Against You Personally For Your Involvement In Killing Of Qods Force Commander Soleimani, Former Palestinian Minister: The Armed Intifada Was A Great Mistake; We Must Learn From Past Errors, Formulate New Political Vision, Editor Of AKP Mouthpiece: 'Turkey Is A Global Power – Now It's Time For Azerbaijan To Rise; Iran Backing Armenia! [13], Iran and Syria have also built numerous dams and water storage facilities that reduce the amount of water reaching Iraq. Although the country has been importing most of its wheat and other basic foodstuffs for years, the continued loss of grain production means an increased need for imports to satisfy demand, according to experts. London: Victor Gollancz, 1993, p. 74. Map of modern Iraq showing the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Source:Globalwater.pbworks.com). Iraq and, to a lesser degree, Syria, is affected by decisions made upstream with rival claims on water-sharing by the riparian countries. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Iraqi Minister of Oil Resources Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid has questioned whether Turkey continues to adhere to a slogan uttered by some of its leaders about "a barrel of oil for a barrel of water. Now Iraq has mounted a campaign among the three donors to withhold further funding of the project, estimated to cost $1.68 billion, in an attempt to force Turkey to increase the amount of water reaching Iraq through the Euphrates River. Increasingly erratic rainfall across the region, along with the construction of dams in upstream Turkey and Iran, have all reduced the amount of water flowing in the key rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates by at least 50 percent in recent decades, according to Iraqi government officials. says he was left with no choice but to abandon farming and become a construction worker. Syria has also limited the water flow into Iraq. Devoid of water, the rice, wheat and barley fields are left without vegetation. Iraqi woman sits on parched land in southern Iraq. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October, The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. © All rights reserved, Al-Bayan Center 2020, Iraq’s Water Crisis Challenges and Solutions, Governance, rule of law and public policy, Early elections in Iraq.. It was on their banks that the first cities were established cities 8,000 years ago and where the flood stories of Gilgamesh and the Bible were first told. UNESCO is partnering with the Iraqi government to reform the water management sector and improve irrigation systems. Additionally, Iraq is in desperate need of aid to build its own water infrastructure. The residents of the city of Faw, 60 miles south of Basra and the southernmost city in Iraq, have complained that, by diverting the Karun River from Shatt Al-Arab into the Iranian Bahman Shir River, Iran has created a severe shortage of drinking water for the residents of the city. Both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have dropped to precariously low levels, negatively affecting public health and agriculture productivity. Iraq has been severely affected by this; as there are no alternative sources of water