Shafaq News- Diyala

Nearly 40 villages south of the Bahraz subdistrict in Iraq's Diyala province are facing severe water shortages due to drought and encroachments on the rivers and canals that supply the area, a provincial council member told Shafaq News on Monday.

Raad Al-Luhaibi said residents of these areas have become almost entirely dependent on wells to meet their daily water needs, adding, “An agreement had been reached with the Water Resources Ministry to dredge the entire Kharisan River to ensure water flows reach affected villages and farmland during the next agricultural season.”

He called on the relevant authorities to expedite the dredging project before the next season begins and adopt long-term solutions to the scarcity threatening the villages and their agricultural lands.

Diyala has recently seen a noticeable improvement in water availability after years of severe dry conditions. The recovery has revived Mandali's orchards for the first time in 25 years, thanks to cross-border water releases, while wetlands have reappeared and rare wildlife has returned to areas along the border.

Read more: Salinity and drought ravage Iraq’s historic farmlands