Shafaq News/ Southern Babil is nearing collapse as rivers dry up, livestock die off, and entire villages are abandoned in an escalating environmental and humanitarian crisis.

“Nothing is left,” a local herder told Shafaq News. “We’ve lost more than fifty sheep—some dropped dead, others swelled up and died. The village is emptying. There’s no water—only heat, dust, and despair.”

Farming has all but disappeared. Hamza Radi, a father of six, hasn’t planted a crop in over twenty years. “Even the smallest canals are bone dry. We rely on salty trucked-in water that barely lasts a day,” he said.

Across the region, charred fields and vacant homes tell the same story. Desperate families are selling their belongings just to afford a single tanker of water. “We’ve pleaded with every authority—no one responds,” one resident remarked.

In Al-Kifl, shepherd Abu Ahmed spends hours in 50°C heat trying to keep his dwindling flock alive.

Babil Water Resources Director Muthanna al-Watifi confirmed to our agency that the crisis is worsening. “The Hilla River now flows at just 70 to 73 cubic meters per second—well below irrigation requirements.”

With upstream supplies exhausted, the Ministry of Water Resources has canceled this year’s summer planting season, redirecting what little water remains to cities and treatment facilities.