Shafaq News - Babil

A wave of unrest may be imminent in southern Iraq as worsening water shortages, power outages, and agricultural collapse threaten to ignite public anger, a senior Iraqi lawmaker warned on Monday.

Thaer Mukheef, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Water, said on Facebook that the growing strain on rural communities risks triggering mass protests if the government fails to intervene. “Thirst, agricultural collapse, and electricity cuts are putting unbearable pressure on citizens,” he wrote. “People’s patience is not infinite.”

His comments come amid an accelerating environmental and infrastructural breakdown in Iraq’s southern provinces, where climate-driven drought, poor resource management, and failing public services have fueled displacement and despair.

Iraq’s rural areas are facing dramatic demographic shifts as families flee dying farmland and evaporating water sources. Livestock losses, soil degradation, and rising food insecurity are compounding the crisis, with water reserves currently at just 10B cubic meters—well below the 18B required to meet peak summer demand.

A recent Forbes report ranked Iraq among the hardest-hit countries in the region, alongside Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, warning that the drought may be the worst in centuries.