Water levels rise in the Tigris River near Qurna in Basra after upstream releases were increased, following an agreement between Iraq and Turkey to boost flow to 420 cubic meters per second.
Tigris water levels rise in Basra following increased upstream releases, Turkish agreement
BASRA — Water levels in the Tigris River have risen in Basra’s Qurna district following upstream dam releases in Maysan governorate and a new agreement with Turkey to boost flow into Iraq, according to the Water Resources Directorate.
“Water levels in the Tigris in Qurna rose to 87 cubic meters per second today, up from 70 in recent days,” a directorate official told 964media. “Inside Qurna itself, the discharge reached 74 cubic meters per second, compared to the previous 50.”
The official said the increase was the result of additional releases from behind the Qal’at Saleh regulator in Maysan and the removal of unauthorized fish ponds that were diverting water. “We expect the flow to increase to 90 cubic meters per second in the coming days,” the source added. “Removing illegal water usage in Kut and Maysan provided an additional 80 cubic meters per second. Maysan alone has about 2,500 unauthorized fish ponds.”
The rise in river levels follows a high-level meeting in Ankara, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to release 420 cubic meters per second into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers beginning Wednesday. The decision came during a visit by Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, who led a delegation to discuss bilateral issues, with water access as a key priority.
Al-Mashhadani received a call Wednesday from Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş confirming the start of increased releases. He thanked Turkish leaders and described Turkey as “an important neighbor to Iraq and its people.”