Shafaq News- Al-Muthanna

Water shortages and rising pollution levels are threatening public health and agriculture in Al-Muthanna province, southern Iraq, the province's head of Environment Directorate warned on Tuesday.

Amir Kadhim Al-Aradhi told Shafaq News that untreated wastewater discharged into the river by Al-Muthanna's Sewerage Directorate remains the main source of water pollution. He added that improper use of river water and the spread of invasive water hyacinth have further degraded water quality, while ongoing scarcity has affected people, livestock, biodiversity, and farmland across the province.

Al-Muthanna depends on the Al-Hilla River for its water allocation, but the volumes reaching the province are insufficient to meet local demand. Additionally, Al-Aradhi said, rising temperatures in the province’s vast desert areas and limited vegetation cover make it particularly vulnerable to extreme heat and climate change, increasing water evaporation and placing additional pressure on agricultural land.

Last Month, the Green Iraq Observatory estimated that 40.4 million dunams (4.04 million hectares), representing 23.2% of Iraq's land area, have already turned into desert, while another 96 million dunams (9.6 million hectares) remain vulnerable. The country also loses about 100,000 dunams (10,000 hectares) of farmland annually to salinity and soil degradation, with Dhi Qar, Maysan, Al-Muthanna, and Al-Diwaniyah among the worst-affected provinces.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues