Iraq’s Minister of Water Resources Aoun Dhiab
Monitor
Iraq’s water minister says 2025 drier than past drought years, urges shift in irrigation
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Minister of Water Resources Aoun Dhiab said Monday that 2025 has been relatively drier than previous drought years, underscoring the need to reform irrigation practices in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Speaking to the state-run Iraqi News Agency, Dhiab emphasized improving water use efficiency—especially in the agricultural sector—by shifting irrigation methods.
“We hope that efforts to change irrigation methods will expand in order to reduce water usage, thereby preserving the current available quantities, ensuring agricultural stability, and meeting human water needs,” he said.
Iraq continues to grapple with the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures, declining rainfall and recurring droughts. Rainfall patterns have become increasingly erratic, with precipitation levels falling—particularly in the country’s southern and central regions.
The United Nations has identified Iraq as one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate-related effects, including extreme heat, water scarcity and land degradation. Tens of square kilometers of arable land are lost to desertification each year, further threatening food and water security.
Aoun Dhiab’s statement to Iraqi News Agency:
This year is considered relatively dry compared to the drought years the country has experienced. We hope it will be better than previous years, and this depends on the methods used to preserve the amount of water consumed, particularly in the field of agriculture.
There is great cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the shift in irrigation methods, including the import of a large number of center pivot irrigation systems as well as linear sprinkler irrigation systems. The Ministry of Agriculture is moving in this direction.
We hope that efforts to change irrigation methods will expand in order to reduce water usage, thereby preserving the current available quantities, ensuring agricultural stability, and meeting human water needs.
