Iraq’s Water Crisis Growing Worse By The Month

 

Every week brings more bad news about Iraq’s water crisis. Four years of low rainfall and decreasing flows down the Tigris and Euphrates River have put the country on the brink of disaster. The government has failed to respond because it only gives lip service to caring about the public.

Iraq Announces New Water Initiatives As Global Warming Continues To Disrupt Economy And Lives

As summer nears the Iraqi government has announced several initiatives to address climate change. The question remains is if they will do enough as conditions continue to deteriorate and the country faces an environmental disaster.

World Food Programme Warns About Impact Of Climate Change Upon Iraq

In July the World Food Programme released a report on the current drought in Iraq. It was the latest warning about the devastating affects climate change is having on the country.

Norwegian Refugee Council Reports Climate Crisis In Iraq Getting Worse

Farmer in Baaj, Ninewa looking at what used to be farmland (Norwegian Refugee Council)

Iraq’s environmental crisis continues to worsen with no end in sight. The Norwegian Refugee Council just released a new report which provides more details on the situation.

Another Study Of Climate Change Induced Displacement In Iraq

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started tracking Iraqis displaced by climate change. They have found the phenomena is increasing with each passing month. The group tried to deduce the main causes of this new dilemma Iraq is facing.

Study Of 3 Districts Of Iraq Dealing With Climate Change

(Getty Images)

Iraq is facing an environmental crisis with no end in sight. The country is beset by droughts, rising temperatures, desertification, and dust storms. The World Bank counted 15 natural disasters in Iraq over the last 30 years due to climate change. The Berghof Foundation did a study of three districts to look at how things are developing at the local level in the country.

More Evidence Iraqi Govt Not Serious About Water Crisis

Iraq is in the midst of a growing water crisis brought on by recurring drought, the lack of rainfall, dams being built by neighboring countries, and no strategy by Baghdad. Recent statements by the Water Ministry show the government is not serious about dealing with this issue.

Iraq’s Water Storage Which Was Supposed To Help Get Through 3rd Yr Of Draught Running Dry

(AFP)

On August 20 the Iraqi parliament’s agriculture and water committee announced that levels at Iraq’s water storage facilities had reached a “dead” level. It blamed the government for failing to get neighboring countries to cooperate on the issue.

Climate change induced displacement increases in Iraq

(IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the premier group working with the Iraqi government on the country’s displaced (IDP) problem. In recent years it has been documenting a new phenomenon which is people being forced out of their homes by climate change. The United Nations said Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country to the environmental crisis.  In a July report the IOM noted that this new IDP population is increasing.

Increased Displacement In Iraq Due To Climate Change

(IOM)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) just issued a new report about continued displacement in central and southern Iraq due to climate change. The situation has gotten worse with more families leaving the land and the government appears to be incapable of providing help.

PM Sudani Claims False Success In Iraq’s Water Policy

(AP)

Prime Minister Sudani recently returned from a trip to Turkey where he claimed a victory. He said that Ankara agreed to increase water flow down the Tigris for one month to try to help its neighbor. That will do little to alleviate Iraq’s chronic problems especially because Baghdad appears to have no water strategy.

Difficult Situations In Postwar Areas Of Iraq

As of March 2019 4,188,780 displaced (IDPs) Iraqis had returned home. That is a priority of the government, but it has no rebuilding or reconciliation policy to help these people. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) did a survey of the areas people are going back to. It surveyed 1,547 locations across eight provinces in February 2019. The situation in home areas is important because the more difficulties there the less likely IDPs are to go back.

(IOM)

Iraq Govt Not Dealing With Declining Farming And Environmental Problems Threatening Food Security

(AP)

Iraq’s food situation is running into increasing problems. Its farm sector is declining and running into more difficulties due to government interventions and environmental changes. That is increasing dependency upon imports. At the same time the most vulnerable Iraqis are facing food shortages. Baghdad has worked with the United Nations and others to try to come up with plans to address these issues, but is not funding them to make them successful. That means these issues will continue to worsen.

Skepticism About Mahdi Govt In New Iraq Poll

PM Mahdi (Baghdad Post)

A new poll by Al Mustakilla for Research found widespread skepticism about the government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi. In nearly every category the administration ranked at under 50% in approval. The poll was taken during January 2019 and included 1,300 people. The respondents were broken up into four regions. One was Baghdad. Another was the Arab North including Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala. The South was everything below Baghdad, and then Kurdistan.

Survey Finds A Divided Iraq, But Not For The Traditional Reasons

The National Democratic Institute released a new survey that found Iraqis feeling deeply divided. There were only three questions asked of why people felt that way. It appeared that sect was no longer such a big issue, but rather the distribution of goods and services that piqued the public.

Short and Long Term Problems That Led To This Summer’s Basra Protests

(Reuters)

In August 2018 the Norwegian Refugee Council travelled to Basra to determine the causes of the summer’s protests. It found that there was a mix of longstanding complaints about governance added to a new electricity and water crises that led to the demonstrations.

Basra Explodes In Rage and Riots Over Water Crisis

(Al Mirbad)

Iraq’s summer protest season seemed over when Basra was hit with an on-going water crisis. That led to a new round of demonstrations that have consistently escalated. That exploded on September 4 with a riot that burned the governor’s building and led to seven killed by the security forces (ISF).

Iraq Failed To Prepare For Water Crisis

Turkey's Ilisu Dam (Global Water Blog)

Basra is currently facing a growing water crisis. 17,000 people have been hit by colic and diarrhea, and there are warnings that cholera might break out. The cause of this problems are two-fold. One is increasingly salinity moving north up the Shatt al-Arab waterway from the Persian Gulf. Second is the reduction of water coming down the Tigris River from the north due to a new Turkish dam. The dam project started over a decade ago yet the Iraqi government failed to make adequate preparations for it, and is now paying the price.

Protests In Iraq Greatly Escalate And Spread Throughout South

In just a few days the annual protests in Iraq have greatly accelerated. There had been a week of protests since the start of July, but then July 8 in northern Basra province a demonstrator was killed by the security forces. That gave impetus to greater activism, and another person dying from gunfire on July 12, leading to an explosion of people taking to the streets on July 13 across southern Iraq, which saw ports, airports, and political offices occupied and attacked. The government offered some platitudes in response, but the public was far from satisfied.

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