Wasfi Abbas, a farmer from southern Iraq, now living in Baghdad, has faced several challenges due to water scarcity, such as having to sell all his livestock, numbering 70 animals, to cope with his dire living conditions.
Abbas, who has always lived close to rivers, now finds himself having to spend money on buying drinking water.
“The foremost problem is the lack of water, which affects both humans and animals, and there is no drinking either. We have to purchase water... and it’s impossible to provide enough for our animals," said Abbas, adding that his neighbor has had to leave due to the water shortage.
Drought and dwindling water resources in Iraq have grown so concerning that the Iraqi Council of Ministers has transferred the matter to its national security body to address, considering it a significant threat to the nation's security.
Farmers are worried about the consequences of water shortages, which, over the last four years, have caused more than 62,000 individuals to move from rural regions to cities, according to reports by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOM warns that the more severe the water scarcity situation becomes, the more intense migration flows from rural to urban areas will grow.
Iraq is now at the mercy of its neighbors. Nearly 70 percent of its water resources flow from neighboring countries.
Turkey and Iran are actively building dams on their sides of the borders.
"Iraq now has a huge problem in water resource management. We are faced with a huge water reserve gap, losing around 100 billion cubic meters of water," warned Khalid Shimali, spokesperson for the water resources ministry.
The spokesperson added that what really plagues Iraq is the blockade of water by neighboring countries, leading to a massive water shortage in their reserves.
"Our problem with water resources is the problem of water release rather than withhold. Therefore, the management of water resources is incomplete because the water resources are flowing into Iraq from outside," he added.
The UN classifies Iraq as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change. Droughts are long and frequent, and coupled with lack of rainfall and declining river levels, they have led water reserves to decrease by half since last, according to the water ministry.
Iraq's Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan, and Muthana provinces have borne the brunt of the country's water scarcity.
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