Iraq among top 15 countries hit by climate change, says PM adviser

BAGHDAD — Iraq is among the 15 countries most affected by climate change, Prime Minister’s water affairs adviser Turhan al-Mufti said, warning that rainfall shifts and upstream droughts are straining the country’s already limited water resources.

“The rain line has retreated 100 kilometers to the north,” al-Mufti said in an interview with Utv. “It used to be between Daquq and Duz, and now it is north of Erbil.”

He said Iraq received only 22 billion cubic meters of water this year, while its annual agricultural plan requires 40 billion. “So what do we do?” he asked, urging a redefinition of the agricultural calendar and a shift to less water-intensive crops with higher economic value.

Iraq is facing its worst water crisis in 80 years, with reserves at record lows. Officials cite climate change, drought, and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran as key drivers.

Water Resources Minister Aoun Dhiab has said Turkey’s system of dams on the Euphrates, used to generate power and transfer water between reservoirs, has cut Iraq’s share by half. He said Baghdad is continuing technical talks with Ankara to establish a framework for sharing shortages.

Excerpts from Turhan Al-Mufti’s interview with  Utv:

Iraq is one of the 15 most affected countries by climate change in the world.

The rain line has retreated 100 kilometers to the north, meaning the lands that are cultivated without the need for water (that is, rain-fed). It used to be between Daquq and Duz, and now it is north of Erbil.

In southern Turkey, which is the beginning of our main basin, drought has reached 53%. In western Iran, where the tributaries are part of the Tigris basin, drought has reached 62%. The upstream countries are in fact experiencing drought.

The amount of water that has reached us this year does not exceed 22 billion cubic meters, while Iraq’s annual agricultural plan needs 40 billion. So what do we do? Our reservoirs have a capacity of 80 billion along Iraq, of which 70% goes to agriculture, 10% goes to domestic use, and the rest to other matters.

We need to redefine the agricultural calendar. Given these conditions, there are crops that can no longer be planted, and we must change the farmer’s agricultural calendar, meaning he has to replace his crops with others that have economic return and consume less water.

Also, the rainfall calendar—the Ministry of Agriculture counts it from the first of October, while for the past 10 years it has started from the end of November or the beginning of December.

In the past, conditions were one rainy year followed by another dry year, but today it is one rainy year followed by five dry years.

We have not yet reached water scarcity. Once the river stops and the groundwater drops to a level where it can no longer be pumped, then we will have reached the scarcity level.