MP warns of potential for mass migration due to Iraq’s drought crisis

BAGHDAD, August 15 — The Iraqi Parliament’s Agriculture Committee issued a warning on Tuesday about the potential for a mass exodus from the country’s central and southern regions due to an ongoing drought crisis, urging the government to form a delegation to negotiate water sharing with its northern neighbor, Turkey.

Agriculture Committee member Abdul Hadi Al-Hasnawi shared his concerns in a statement which read:

Al-Hasnawi, a prominent figure in the committee, cautioned that areas in the central and southern parts of Iraq, particularly those along the Tigris River basin, are at risk of experiencing mass migration of their farming communities due to the severe drought crisis.

He explained that during the current summer season, many of these areas are facing significantly reduced water flow, leading to inadequate irrigation for agricultural lands. This situation is particularly dire in provinces like Najaf and Diwaniyah.

Al-Hasnawi pointed out that the farming communities in these regions are facing the prospect of a collective migration if the drought crisis, aggravated by the scarcity of water flowing from Turkey, continues unchecked.

He called upon both the government and the parliament to swiftly develop effective solutions to alleviate the drought crisis and to create a high-level delegation for negotiations with Turkey to secure Iraq’s water share.