Shafaq News- Basra
Sharply reduced water inflows threaten Basra’s stability and critical infrastructure, the province’s Governor Asaad Al-Eidani warned Thursday, urging federal intervention before summer intensifies the crisis.
Speaking after a late-night provincial council session, Al-Eidani said releases reaching Basra have fallen to 47 cubic meters per second, compared with an estimated minimum requirement of 90 cubic meters per second. He cautioned that without urgent federal action, conditions could deteriorate sharply as temperatures rise.
Local authorities have allocated emergency funds to address bottlenecks, with new pumps expected to come online this week, adding five cubic meters per second to pumping capacity. Around 60% of the main supply canal has also been cleared, he said.
Al-Eidani attributed part of the strain to delayed maintenance of the Al-Badaa canal, overseen by the Water Resources Ministry, citing a lack of allocations in the 2025 federal budget. He urged Baghdad to expedite payments to water directorates and address what he described as regulatory constraints affecting the province.
He also pointed to unlicensed fish farms upstream, stretching from Al-Ishaqi to southern Maysan, as contributing to reduced downstream flows, calling for security intervention to curb violations.
Basra has seen intermittent protests in recent months over worsening water salinity, with residents in several districts blocking roads and burning tires. Salinity levels have rendered tap water unfit for use in parts of the province, intensifying environmental and public health concerns.