Basra Rights Office warns of 'humanitarian emergency' over water crisis
Shafaq News – Basra
The Director of the High Commission for Human Rights office in Basra, Mahdi al-Tamimi, issued a renewed and urgent appeal on Friday, calling on the province’s executive and legislative authorities to defend freedom of speech and take immediate action to support residents facing an intensifying water crisis.
Al-Tamimi warned that the people of Basra are enduring conditions few others face globally, highlighting that many households must pay out of pocket to secure water safe for human use.
He urged Basra’s parliamentarians, provincial council members, and the governor to eliminate all financial levies on citizens, calling it “the bare minimum” expected from any responsible government.
The population continues to suffer from acute water shortages, high salinity, and contamination—conditions “that demand at least minimal intervention from authorities to mitigate the ongoing humanitarian emergency,” Al-Tamimi stated.
This third public appeal, he emphasized, also reinforces the necessity of safeguarding the right to free expression and ensuring the most basic elements of a dignified life in what he described as a “stricken province.”
Basra has been grappling with a chronic water crisis marked by a lack of potable water and escalating pollution levels in both air and water.
Since early 2025, protests have repeatedly broken out, particularly in the northern districts, driven by worsening water scarcity and a rise in respiratory and skin-related illnesses. The intrusion of saltwater from the Gulf into the Shatt al-Arab river has further deepened the crisis, affecting both daily household needs and agricultural irrigation.
