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BAGHDAD, Iraq - Water projects in the Kurdistan Region must be implemented in coordination with the Iraqi government, an Iraqi water resources ministry spokesperson said on Monday, adding that the federal government is in “continuous coordination” with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on water-related issues.
“The Kurdistan Region is a part of Iraq and a part of the Iraqi government, the projects that are built [in the Region] are Iraqi projects as well, however, projects in the Region must be implemented in coordination with the Iraqi government,” Khalid Shamal, the spokesperson for the Iraqi water resources ministry told Rudaw English on the sidelines of the Baghdad International Water Conference.
Shamal noted that any project that is not in line with the Iraqi strategy for managing water resources will not be implemented.
Coordination between the Iraqi government and the KRG regarding water-related projects takes place through a joint cooperation committee, Shamal said, “There is daily cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, regarding the management of the dams and the management of the water reserves,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi water resources minister told Rudaw on the sidelines of the Suleimani forum that over 10 dams in the Kurdistan Region are “planned for and included” in the ministry’s programs within the federal projects.
“Their [the dams] projects and designs are being prepared, and then they will be implemented,” Diab said.
The Iraqi capital is holding a three-day conference with the participation of hundreds of government officials, academics, and international and local civil society organizations to discuss the pressing issues of climate change, agriculture, and water management.
The conference comes a year after Iraq became the first Middle Eastern country to accede to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s 1992 Helsinki Convention on the protection of transboundary watercourses and international lakes.
Shamal said that the Kurdistan Region is a part of the strategic water deal, stating that cooperation with the KRG strengthens Iraq’s position in negotiations with neighboring countries.
Baghdad and Ankara signed a strategic water agreement last week during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iraq. Bassem al-Awadi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, told Rudaw at the time that the agreement would help resolve the water crisis in the country.
Iraq’s water problems are exacerbated by Turkish and Iranian damming of rivers that flow into Iraq. The water resources minister said in an interview with Rudaw in February that per an agreement with Ankara, the Turkish government is “required to release 500 cubic meters of water per second as a minimum, and of this 260 cubic meters should reach Iraq.”
Awadi said that a joint Iraqi-Turkish fund that Iraq will deposit oil money in will be created, with the money then being invested in projects such as dams, canals, power generation, and pumping stations.
Iraq is among the nations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity. The United Nations Environment Program has warned that water shortages threaten the long-term stability of Iraq’s agriculture and industry.
Water levels in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers - vital waterways shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey - have dropped considerably in recent years and in 2022 Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources predicted that unless urgent action is taken, these two rivers will be dry by 2040.
“The Kurdistan Region is a part of Iraq and a part of the Iraqi government, the projects that are built [in the Region] are Iraqi projects as well, however, projects in the Region must be implemented in coordination with the Iraqi government,” Khalid Shamal, the spokesperson for the Iraqi water resources ministry told Rudaw English on the sidelines of the Baghdad International Water Conference.
Shamal noted that any project that is not in line with the Iraqi strategy for managing water resources will not be implemented.
Coordination between the Iraqi government and the KRG regarding water-related projects takes place through a joint cooperation committee, Shamal said, “There is daily cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, regarding the management of the dams and the management of the water reserves,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi water resources minister told Rudaw on the sidelines of the Suleimani forum that over 10 dams in the Kurdistan Region are “planned for and included” in the ministry’s programs within the federal projects.
“Their [the dams] projects and designs are being prepared, and then they will be implemented,” Diab said.
The Iraqi capital is holding a three-day conference with the participation of hundreds of government officials, academics, and international and local civil society organizations to discuss the pressing issues of climate change, agriculture, and water management.
The conference comes a year after Iraq became the first Middle Eastern country to accede to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s 1992 Helsinki Convention on the protection of transboundary watercourses and international lakes.
Shamal said that the Kurdistan Region is a part of the strategic water deal, stating that cooperation with the KRG strengthens Iraq’s position in negotiations with neighboring countries.
Baghdad and Ankara signed a strategic water agreement last week during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iraq. Bassem al-Awadi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, told Rudaw at the time that the agreement would help resolve the water crisis in the country.
Iraq’s water problems are exacerbated by Turkish and Iranian damming of rivers that flow into Iraq. The water resources minister said in an interview with Rudaw in February that per an agreement with Ankara, the Turkish government is “required to release 500 cubic meters of water per second as a minimum, and of this 260 cubic meters should reach Iraq.”
Awadi said that a joint Iraqi-Turkish fund that Iraq will deposit oil money in will be created, with the money then being invested in projects such as dams, canals, power generation, and pumping stations.
Iraq is among the nations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity. The United Nations Environment Program has warned that water shortages threaten the long-term stability of Iraq’s agriculture and industry.
Water levels in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers - vital waterways shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey - have dropped considerably in recent years and in 2022 Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources predicted that unless urgent action is taken, these two rivers will be dry by 2040.
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