Iraq requires over 100B cubic meters to reinstate historic drought

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq needs more than 100 billion cubic meters of water to restore its reserves to normal levels after years of drought and declining inflows from the Tigris and Euphrates, the Green Iraq Observatory reported on Sunday.

In a statement, the monitor said river levels have fallen to historic lows, degrading water quality, draining dams and regulators, intensifying saltwater intrusion in Basra, drying large parts of the southern marshes, and sharply reducing this winter’s agricultural plan.

Recent rainfall raised national water reserves by only 1–2%, the observatory said, warning that shortages could worsen by next summer and threaten drinking water supplies, including in Baghdad.

The Ministry of Water Resources earlier said the rainfall increased dam storage by more than 700 million cubic meters and supplied over 200 million cubic meters to Lake Tharthar, supporting winter irrigation and improving conditions in the Shatt al-Arab.

The observatory, however, said these gains remain marginal compared with the scale of the deficit and called on authorities to maximize the use of future rain and floods to redistribute water to the most affected central and southern provinces.

Iraq’s water crisis stems from prolonged drought linked to climate change and reduced upstream inflows from Turkiye and Iran, where dam construction and river diversions have curtailed supplies. UN and international reports rank Iraq among the world’s five most climate-vulnerable countries.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues