‘How do we live?’ Iraq’s farmers watch rivers dry up

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Dramatic scenes of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers drying up has sparked outrage and serious concerns among millions of Iraqis who depend on the waterways for their livelihoods. 

Ehab Hashem Matar owns an orchard south of Baghdad. He says he and other farmers have seen significant financial losses and some farmers are moving into the cities.

"If the water is cut off, there is no agriculture. And if there is no agriculture, how do we live? The option is to migrate from the regions en masse," Matar told Rudaw on Friday. "The water crisis is a serious problem for these areas where people cling to the presence of water. If the water is cut off, life comes to a standstill."  

This summer is expected to be a scorcher with reduced water supplies, according to Ali Radi Thamer, director general for dams and Reservoirs in the water resources ministry.

"There are a number of factors contributing to the decline in water levels, notably including Turkey's efforts to expand its dams, build more dams in order to control more water," said Thamer, adding that due to the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey, they have suspended negotiations with Ankara over water.  

Iraq's water resources have declined by about 70 percent because of drought and dams in Turkey and Iran, according to Thamer.

Immediate action needs to be taken by the central government to tackle water stress in Iraq’s Euphrates-Tigris basin, he said.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has long warned that the water available in Iraq will decrease by around 20 percent by 2025, threatening the long-term stability of Iraq’s agriculture and industry. According to another concerning report by the United Nations, dams built in neighboring Turkey and Iran have dramatically reduced the combined volume of the Tigris and Euphrates by up to 60 percent.

Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity. Low rainfall levels and high temperatures caused by climate change are depleting water supplies across the country. Much of Iraq’s agricultural lands depend on irrigation, but dams and reservoirs have been at record-low levels.