Drought imperils Iraq’s water buffalo and a child’s way of life

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ahmed’s father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage in their home Al-Mishkhab district is forcing him to sell their animals one by one – heartbreaking for his son. open image in gallery Mustafa in front of his family’s buffalo herd open image in gallery Mustafa and his father Ahmed Abdul Hussein cross a bridge over the Al-Shallal river They recently lost a two-month-old calf. open image in gallery Buffalo drink water from the almost dry Al-Shallal river open image in gallery Boys herd buffalo towards the Euphrates River in the village of Umm Khashm, on the outskirts of Najaf In Al-Mishkhab the landscape has become barren and Abdul Hussein’s animals must brave the dust blowing from abandoned farmland with scant water to keep cool. open image in gallery The dry riverbed of the Al-Shallal River open image in gallery Buffalo walk across the dried riverbed The International Organisation for Migration says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought.