UNDP representative to Iraq Auke Lootsma (left) speaking to Rudaw's Nma Nabaz (right). Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) special representative in Iraq told Rudaw earlier this month that Iraq is severely affected by the impacts of climate change, mainly due to a decrease in water levels, and that the UN is working to assist the Iraqi government to increase water flow into the country.
“If you look at it across the board, everyone in Iraq is actually affected by climate change, we see that now very profoundly in the lack of water in the rivers,” Auke Lootsma, the UNDP resident representative to Iraq, said in an interview with Rudaw’s Nma Nabaz.
Lootsma noted that the effects of climate change do not only revolve around the decrease of water levels, but other issues such as higher temperatures, loss of biodiversity, sand and dust storms, and the lack of electricity, which are affecting much of the Iraqi population.
The UNDP official said that climate change is currently "the most acute in the Iraqi marshes," saying that the increase in temperatures and the higher salinity of the waters have impacted the livelihood of the residents of the area, pushing them to move to the cities.
“As the UNDP we are trying to do something about it [moving from the marshlands}, we are working together with government and other UN agencies to set up programs to support the population in the marshlands,” said Lootsma, adding that support is for both to adapt to the effects of climate change and to improve the livelihood of the people in the area.
A key form of assistance that the UNDP is providing to Iraq is aiding the government in negotiations with neighboring countries to increase water flow into the country, he said.
Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste and mismanagement. The crisis is worsened by upstream dams in Turkey and Iran that have led to a significant decrease in the volume of water entering the country.
Lootsma highlighted that Iraq has recognized climate change as one of its big priorities, as it is a part of the national development agenda headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, stressing that more needs to be done, and the UNDP works closely with the government to further develop policies and programs to deal with the impacts of climate change.
“We are supporting the government in terms of its negotiations with neighboring countries to deal with the water inflow into Iraq,” Lootsma said.
At a climate conference in Basra in March, Sudani announced a plan to plant five million trees to combat desertification, with private banks footing the bill for half a million of the trees.
In August, a spokesman of the Iraqi water resources ministry told Rudaw that the country's water reserves are at the "lowest" in the country's history, having reduced to almost half of last year’s amount.
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