Garmiyan used to be known for its rich water resources, but has only seen 125mm of rainfall this year, leading to its second consecutive drought year.
“After receiving all the data, and the likelihood of raining not being very promising, we declare a drought year in the Garmiyan administration… Garmiyan will suffer greatly in most aspects, as this year’s [drought] will have a greater negative impact than last year,” said Jalal Nouri, the administration’s supervisor, during a press conference on Wednesday.
Nouri stated that the drought will harm 135 thousand dunams of land, adding that the lack of clean water will lead to an increase in the risk of catching diseases and infections. He also added that they will present a detailed report to the government, requesting an emergency budget to handle the situation, while also urging international organizations to provide assistance.
“To battle the drought year, a major part of it is related to money, a budget, and the other part is related to planning,” said Nouri.
In March, the General Manager of Garmiyan Agriculture, Shadia Hussain, said that they prepared a report along with proposed solutions to end the drought issue in the area. “One of the fastest solutions is to provide seeds to the farmers,” she stated.
According to statistics from Garmiyan agriculture, 6,287 farmers planted wheat on dry soil, losing 3,200,000 billion Iraqi dinars in 2021.
Water scarcity is a severe issue in Iraq. The country is the fifth-most vulnerable nation to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations (UN), yet it is lagging behind its neighbors when it comes to a plan to protect its water resources.
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