Minister of water resources addresses water evaporation and projects in Iraq

BAGHDAD, October 16 — Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Dhiaab, stated that the water evaporation levels in Iraq have increased this year compared to previous years due to high temperatures, reaching an average of 8 billion cubic meters. He also noted that the flow of water from upstream countries remains very limited.

Dhiaab affirmed in a statement to the Al-Sabah official newspaper, as reported by Network 964, that “the quantity of water flow from upstream countries for the current year is limited due to climate changes. Iraq is one of the areas that has been most affected by these changes due to recording the highest temperatures, resulting from various factors, including increased evaporation in water bodies, the natural plant’s decay, and a decrease in rainfall over the past four years, leading to drought.”

He added, “The level of evaporation in water bodies reached five billion cubic meters during the summer season, in addition to the evaporation occurring in reservoirs and marshes, which reaches three billion cubic meters, making it a total of eight billion cubic meters of water over the year.”

Dhiaab pointed out that “the Ministry has implemented several strategic projects within the government program, despite the limited financial allocations. These projects include increasing the reclaimed land areas and enhancing sustainable practices to secure the food basket in all provinces. Furthermore, projects have been carried out to harvest water through the General Authority for Dams and Reservoirs to enhance groundwater in the provinces of Kurdistan, Anbar, Nineveh, Maysan, Karbala, Najaf, Wasit, and Diyala.”

He added, “There are other projects that involve lining the concrete quilt of the Euphrates River in the Al-Diwaniyah province at a cost of 650 million dinars to secure water flow, reduce losses, and limit encroachments. Additionally, there is a project to line the tourist area near the Palace of King Ghazi in the Al-Daghara district, which will be completed soon. There is also the project of lining the concrete quilt on both sides of the Nazeemi Al-Khulaifi River and the slaughterhouse in Amara, as well as the purification of the Diyala River to ensure the arrival of water to the pumping stations and agricultural lands.”