Iraq might have no rivers by 2040, report warns
Iraq’s Tigris and Euphrates rivers could run dry by 2040 because of declining water levels and climate change, a government report has said.
Over the years, the construction of dams in upstream Turkey, Syria and Iran has choked off part of the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates, on which Iraq depends.
Climate change is contributing to temperature increases and erratic rainfall, pushing the fear of water shortages in Iraq to new levels, it said.
“The rate of decline in water imports to Iraq has begun gradually and will increase to 30 per cent by 2035,” the Ministry of Water Resources said.
The country’s water inflows during the summer are estimated to be about 40 billion cubic metres. A decrease in supply to 30 per cent of normal levels will result in Iraq receiving 11 billion cubic metres annually, the report said.
Iraq’s water consumption needs amount to 53 billion cubic metres annually, which means the deficit will increase to 80 per cent.
Most of the country’s water either originates from or passes through neighbouring states, which have diverted supplies over the years.
Iraq’s growing population, mismanagement of water and climate change are also affecting public access to water.
“A strategic plan made by the Ministry of Water Resources identified measures to confront this deficit, which is the modernising and readjusting irrigation projects and systems, because the main consumer of water in Iraq is the agricultural sector,” said Aoun Diab, a ministry consultant.
The project would cost between $50 billion and $70bn, and take up to 2035 to complete, to preserve the areas currently being cultivated, Mr Diab said.
However, the ministry does not have the financial resources to carry out this project, so a review will address the issue, he said.