Iraq’s Agriculture Ministry reported that drought continued in the country.
The Agriculture Ministry noted that rain was down across Iraq. Southern and central Iraq got less rainfall in January compared to the same month last year. Rudaw reported the same was true for the three provinces in Kurdistan.
Iraq has been suffering from a drought since 2020. This is due to two main factors. First, Iran and Turkey have built dams dramatically cutting the flow of water down major rivers such as the Euphrates and Tigris. Second, there has been a lack of rain for several years. That is a result of global warming.
A recent study by Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies found that Iraq has suffered a 40% decline in water levels. The levels on the Tigris and Euphrates had dropped 30-40% in the last four decades due to low rainfall and dams in neighboring countries.
This is dramatically affecting places like the southern marshes which have shrunk by more than 70%. Crops have also been declining leading many people to migrate from rural areas to the cities in search of jobs.
Every month there are reports about this growing disaster.
In Dhi Qar the provincial government has been complaining to Baghdad about a water crisis since at least October 2024. There is not enough water for drinking and farming. In October the Migration Ministry reported that 10,000 families had fled the marshes as a result.
Southern Maysan governorate is also facing severe water shortages. There is a mass migration going on there from the countryside to the provincial capital of Amara.
The government claims it is dealing with this crisis through various projects but there has been little news that any of them are working. That’s because the ruling parties are not directly affected and therefore have not made it a priority. They give lip services to developing water resources but do little of substance. That means the drought will continue until it naturally ends or it becomes such a dilemma that the elite can no longer ignore it.
SOURCES
Al Mada, “International Study: Drought Impacts On Iraq’s Agricultural Security and Socio-Economy,” 1/20/25
- “The Marshlands Drying Crisis .. The United Nations Affirms Its Support and Water Resources Ministry Talks About Programs to Sustain Water Flow,” 1/20/25
Rudaw, “Iraq records lower rainfall in January,” 1/27/25
Shafaq News, “Exodus in Maysan, drought hits Southern Iraq hard,” 1/20/25
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