Iraq, Turkey negotiations on water rights in their final stages

Iraq 12:26 PM - 2021-06-08

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The Ministry of Water Resources in Iraq confirmed that negotiations with Turkey regarding Iraq's water rights are in their final stages.

 

Ministry spokesman Ali Radi said in a press statement that "Iraq focuses in its negotiations with Turkey on the historical rights of Iraq," adding that "Turkey's expansion in the construction of dams and irrigation projects affects Iraq's water rights,"

 

He said, "during Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi's recent visit To Turkey this issue was discussed and a protocol was prepared by Iraq, which was sent to the Turkish side months ago … So far, negotiations between the technical committees of the two countries are continuing on the provisions of the protocol, to reach a final formula that guarantees Iraq's water rights in the Tigris River.|"

 

"The negotiations are in their final stages, and we hope to sign the final agreement in the near future," Radi said

 

Millions of Iraqis face an intolerably harsh summer, with Turkish dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers compounding a year of low rainfall.

 

The rivers, which account for more than 90 per cent of Iraq’s freshwater, were at historically low levels following scant winter rainfall in the region and snowmelt mainly in the mountains of Southern Turkey, which feeds into the rivers.

 

Turkey says it is also facing a drought and dwindling water supplies, but stands accused of holding on to supplies in its dam reservoirs.

 

On 21 May, Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources said Turkey had released some water, but emphasised that the situation was a crisis.

 

Several regions in Iraq have suffered a harsh drought for years, but this year farmers say the region has witnessed a much more severe drop in rainfall.

 

Kurdistan Region has witnessed a relatively low rain and snowfall during the past winter and the current spring in compression with the previous years which has raised concerns for many, especially farmers who greatly rely on water for agriculture. 

 

Iraq is the world's fifth-most vulnerable nation to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN.

 

The Kurdistan region falls within the Mediterranean climate zone. According to a 2020 analysis by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Mediterranean basin has already been widely affected by global warming, and seasonal rainfall could fall by 40 percent over the next three decades.

 

 

 

PUKmedia