Severe water shortage in Dhi Qar, 30 villages without water for years

Shafaq News/ For the past three years, villages in Dhi Qar province, have been suffering from severe drought. As a result, the village's residents are forced to travel long distances daily to bring water from the market.

The Chairman of the Dhi Qar Provincial Council, Abdul-Baqi Al-Omari, told Shafaq News that the water crisis has become an annual issue in the province. The provincial council requested an increase in water releases and called for the assistance of security forces to address violations and ensure a reliable supply of drinking water to residents. The priority remains solving the drinking water problem for the local government, he revealed.

Al-Omari continued, "We are currently relying on two solutions. The first is for the Water Resources Department, in collaboration with security forces, to manage and distribute the water supply effectively. However, we have no assurance that there will be enough water allocated for the first irrigation cycle in our regions. The second solution is rainfall, and while we hope for sufficient precipitation to support the initial irrigation, the situation remains worrisome."

He also mentioned that the necessary measures are in place, and the provincial council is committed to finding a solution. He further prompted all parties, including government agencies, security forces, and citizens, to collaborate and contribute to resolving this crisis.

Al-Omari urged residents not to rely on flood irrigation and to adopt drip or sprinkling irrigation. "Dhi Qar's share is 70 cubic meters, and with part of this amount, Dhi Qar can irrigate 48,000 dunams if we use controlled drip irrigation," he added.

For his part, the Chairman of the Farmers' Associations in Dhi Qar, Hussein Rabat, told Shafaq News that "more than 30 villages in the northern and eastern areas of Dhi Qar have not received a drop of water for the past three years. This dire situation amounts to a form of mass destruction, particularly in the agricultural sector, where rare and valuable palm tree varieties have been devastated by the ongoing water scarcity."

Rabat stressed that relying on rain to solve the problem is unrealistic, as the region is arid and has not seen any precipitation thus far. Some farmers have already started planting their crops, but they may face significant financial losses, he warned.