Iraq signs contract to update water, land resources strategic study

Shafaq News / The Minister of Water Resources, Awad Thieab Abdullah, signed a contract with the international coalition composed of Italy's "Hydronova" and Jordan's "Concord" to update the strategic study of water and land resources in Iraq with a planning horizon extending until 2035.

The ministry said in a statement today that Abdullah signed the contract for the first phase of the strategic study for water and land resources in Iraq with the international coalition composed of Hydronova and Concord. The study includes the development works taking place in the coastal countries, the impact of climate change, and its implications for ensuring good water supply for southern Iraq and the marshlands in particular, as well as groundwater and its effects on agriculture.

According to the statement, the strategic study serves as a roadmap for the sustainability of water resources in Iraq and a guide for managing this vital sector under the expected water scarcity conditions in the future, in order to achieve the ministry's goals in ensuring the sustainability of water resources in Iraq.

For several years, Iraq has been suffering from a severe drought crisis due to the failure of upstream countries to fulfill their water allocations to the country, in addition to low rainfall. The crisis has worsened in the past three years, reaching its peak during the current year, with many rivers and marshes drying up and the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers significantly decreasing.