Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq begun a nationwide crackdown on illegal water use in an effort to confront its worst drought in decades and protect dwindling river supplies, the government confirmed on Saturday.
Prime Minister’s adviser for water affairs Turhan al-Mufti told Shafaq News the campaign targets unauthorized pumps, artificial lakes, and river encroachments that have diverted water from the Tigris and Euphrates. “This is an emergency measure to secure stable and clean water for the population,” he said, adding that enforcement operations are already under way across multiple provinces.
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Al-Mufti noted that recent talks with Turkiye led by the foreign minister and deputy prime minister had produced “a noticeable rise” in water releases into the Tigris River, describing it as an early sign of improved cooperation.
He warned that shortages on the Tigris are now more severe than on the Euphrates, largely due to extensive illegal extraction. Removing these violations, he said, should help restore flow levels and ease water stress in the coming months.
The campaign follows a new framework agreement with Ankara that includes six joint projects on water harvesting and land reclamation, part of a broader plan to strengthen management of Iraq’s scarce resources.
Iraq, long dependent on the Tigris and Euphrates, is suffering one of the world’s most acute climate-driven droughts, intensified by low rainfall and upstream dams in Turkiye and Iran. The United Nations lists Iraq among the five countries most vulnerable to climate change, while the World Bank estimates the country will need $233 billion in climate and infrastructure investment by 2040 to mitigate the impact.
Read more: Drop by drop: Can Iraq avert a thirsty future?
Environmental groups warn that Iraq has already lost nearly 30% of its farmland over the past three decades, as rivers shrink and soil turns to dust.
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