Water crisis in Al-Dawaya sparks mass displacement
Shafaq News/ The district of Al-Dawaya, northeast of Dhi Qar province, is facing a water crisis, Abbas Fadel, the district administrator of Al-Dawaya, stated on Sunday.
Fadel told Shafaq News that water levels in the Al-Dawaya irrigation project dropped drastically, exacerbated by a sharp decline in water flow from the Al-Badaa Canal. "The complete halt of water flow has led to stagnation, causing the spread of aquatic plants such as Ceratophyllum, which cannot be effectively removed without water circulation," he explained.
The main water pumping station near Kilometer 18 is now supplying undrinkable water with high salinity and turbidity levels, posing serious health risks, especially in the district center, he pointed out.
Fadel highlighted that villages and rural areas within the district have received neither potable nor brackish water, forcing them to rely on dried-up wells. "This has triggered a wave of displacement, with families leaving for Karbala, Najaf, and Basra in search of better living conditions," he added.
He called on authorities in Baghdad to prioritize increasing water releases from the Kut Dam to the Gharraf River and onward to the Al-Badaa Dam to alleviate salinity and turbidity issues. "People here are suffering immensely—they barely have enough water to bathe or wash their hands," he stressed.
According to the Directorate General of Water and UNICEF, millions of Iraqis are facing severe difficulties in obtaining clean drinking water as the country deals with worsening drought conditions and the effects of climate change.
