Shafaq News- Najaf

Water has returned to Najaf Lake and ecological activity is recovering, with birds and fish reappearing following sustained rainfall this season, the director of the Najaf Water Resources Directorate said.

Shaker Fayez told Shafaq News the lake is a natural depression fed by floodwater, rainfall, and drainage channels, noting that recent heavy precipitation had stabilized water levels and restored conditions close to its natural state.

The lake's surface area ranges between 13,000 and 37,000 dunams —approximately 3,200 to 9,150 acres— depending on seasonal water volume.

The return of water has produced measurable environmental improvement, Fayez said, adding that the lake cannot be fully regulated by water management authorities as it is directly linked to seasonal rainfall and flooding patterns. He confirmed that Najaf province is not currently facing a water shortage, and that current indicators point to a positive summer season, though official allocations for the summer have not yet been formally determined.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Najaf, a city of dust and divinity

Iraq has faced a deepening water crisis for years, driven by climate change, declining rainfall, and reduced flows from upstream countries, Turkiye and Iran, which control the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates. The recent rainfall was recorded across multiple Iraqi provinces, with the heaviest concentrations in northern provinces and the Kurdistan Region.

Read more: Iraq faces severe drought as water inflows decline