Politics and climate conspire as Tigris and Euphrates dwindle
2 years, 1 month ago

Politics and climate conspire as Tigris and Euphrates dwindle

LA Times  

A fisherman in September walks across a dry patch of land in the marshes of southern Iraq, which has suffered dire consequences from drought and rising salinity levels. River flows have fallen by 40% in the last four decades as the states along its length — Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq — pursue rapid, unilateral development of the water’s use. “Next year, the canals will be open.” ‘A single truth’ Iraq is the downstream prisoner of geography, relying almost entirely for its water on the twin rivers and tributaries originating outside its borders. In 2014, Iraq’s Water Ministry prepared a confidential report that spelled out a “single truth”: In two years, Iraq’s water supply would no longer meet demand, and the gap would keep widening. We urgently need a water agreement just to satisfy Iraq’s minimum requirements,” said Hatem Hamid, head of the National Center for Water Resources Management.

Water Syria Turkey Iraq Dam Officials Turkish River Two Years Iraqi Gap Irrigation More Water Hamid Yigit Euphrates Tigris Southern Iraq Saeedi Eroglu  iraqs  officials  river  conspire  water  dam  iraq  tigris  iraqi  euphrates  politics  climate  turkey  dwindle  irrigation

History of this topic

Politics, climate conspire as Tigris and Euphrates dwindle
2 years, 1 month ago

Politics, climate conspire as Tigris and Euphrates dwindle

Associated Press  

DAWWAYAH, Iraq and ILISU DAM, Turkey — Next year, the water will come. In 2014, Iraq’s Water Ministry prepared a confidential report that spelled out a “single truth:" In two years, Iraq’s water supply would no longer meet demand, and the gap would keep widening. “I like to keep it to myself,” Eroglu’s Iraqi counterpart, Mahdi Hamdani, said regarding his …

Climate, politics double threat as Tigris-Euphrates shrivels
2 years, 1 month ago

Climate, politics double threat as Tigris-Euphrates shrivels

The Hindu  

Next year, the water will come. In 2014, its Water Ministry prepared a confidential report warning that in two years, Iraq’s water supply would no longer meet demand, and the gap would keep widening. Eroglu said Turkey could agree to setting a ratio to release — but only if Syria and Iraq provide detailed data on their water consumption. Now …

Iraq's mighty Tigris drying up due to human activity, climate change
2 years, 2 months ago

Iraq's mighty Tigris drying up due to human activity, climate change

Firstpost  

Iraq may be oil-rich but the country is plagued by poverty after decades of war and by droughts and desertification Baghdad, Iraq: It was the river that is said to have watered the biblical Garden of Eden and helped give birth to civilisation itself. But Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq, Ali Riza Guney, urged Iraq to “use the available water more …

‘All the trees have died’: Iraqis face intensifying water crisis
3 years, 2 months ago

‘All the trees have died’: Iraqis face intensifying water crisis

Al Jazeera  

Iraqis struggle to cope with depleted water resources, exacerbated by climate change and disputes with neighbours. ‘Great Anatolia Project’ Among the factors perceived locally to be influencing water scarcity in Iraq is Turkey’s “Great Anatolia Project”, a huge development effort decades in the making and consisting of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. …

Minister: Iraq to face severe shortages as river flows drop
4 years, 5 months ago

Minister: Iraq to face severe shortages as river flows drop

Associated Press  

DOHUK, Iraq — Iraq’s minister of water resources says his country will face severe water shortages if agreements are not forged with neighboring Turkey over Ankara’s irrigation and dam projects that have decreased river inflows to Iraq’s parched plains. Measurements of inflows from the border with Turkey in northern Iraq were 50% below average this year, Iraq’s Water Resources Minister …

Water Wars: Drought drove people into the arms of Isis, and it could happen again
5 years, 9 months ago

Water Wars: Drought drove people into the arms of Isis, and it could happen again

The Independent  

Black-clad fighters promised the group of penniless Iraqi farmers together they would conquer “all the lands to Burma”. Wim Zwijnenburg, a lead researcher at the Dutch not-for profit PAX, which has been trying to track the environmental impact on the population, says Isis has used the environment as “a weapon”. Isis also “weaponised water” by taking over critical dams, so …

Iraq's disappearing Eden: Water shortages could force four million people to flee their homes
5 years, 9 months ago

Iraq's disappearing Eden: Water shortages could force four million people to flee their homes

The Independent  

Islanded by cracked and caustic earth, a dome-shaped hut sits beached in the beating heat of the south Iraqi sun. “I saw the rivers there, they were overflowing, I don’t understand why the water can’t be redirected to us,” the buffalo breeder says, rearranging his headscarf. We are expecting 4 million displaced people over the next eight years from the …

Iraq’s farmers hit hard by water shortages
6 years, 5 months ago

Iraq’s farmers hit hard by water shortages

Al Jazeera  

With one in five Iraqis working as farmers, crippling water shortages have pushed many to find alternative employment. Like many others across the country, this year’s crippling water shortage has left him able to grow just a few hectares of wheat and barley. According to Zafer Abdullah, an adviser to Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources, a particularly dry season and …

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