Shafaq News – Basra

Protests continued across several areas of Basra on Sunday for the third consecutive day, as demonstrators burned tires and partially blocked major roads in response to the worsening water salinity crisis.

Protester Alaa al-Tamimi explained to Shafaq News that the masses took to the streets again, as in previous days, because of the high salinity levels in the tap water and the authorities’ failure to find lasting solutions.

“The situation has become unbearable, and people are suffering from the lack of water suitable for drinking or daily use,” he continued.

Earlier, Shafaq News correspondent reported that protesters had blocked traffic along Al-Qaed Street in central Basra, halting vehicles in both directions. Security forces later dispersed the demonstration by force, chased protesters through nearby streets, and reopened the road to traffic.

Iraq is confronting an unprecedented water crisis that has dried up tributaries, vast areas of marshes and wetlands, and lowered dam storage levels due to scarce rainfall and reduced water flows from Turkiye.

Read more: Iraq’s water reserves fall below 8 billion cubic meters as shortage deepens