Minister of Water Resources, Awun Dhiyab Abdullah, urged during a press conference held on the sidelines of the Fourth Baghdad Water Conference for Arab countries to support Iraq in achieving fairness in the distribution of water shares of shared rivers with neighboring countries from which these rivers originate. The Iraqi complaint during the conference about its scarce water resources was reported by the Arab World News Agency, affirming that Iraq has fallen into the water poverty line, calling on neighboring countries for “justice” in distributing shares of shared rivers. This comes following a UN report placing Iraq among 17 out of 22 Arab countries on the water poverty line, with 12 countries below the line and 16 others at risk of drought by 2040.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Iraqi Minister of Planning, Mohammed Ali Tamim, emphasized that “the challenges facing our countries in the field of water resources are difficult and complex, and even increasingly complex day by day. The rising demand for water due to population growth has put pressure on water resources, especially those related to food security.”
It is noteworthy that Iraq had released last Saturday a draft study of the national framework for drought risk management in the country aimed at reducing drought-related risks by promoting sustainable agriculture, developing water infrastructure, and enhancing cooperation with neighboring countries in jointly managing water resources.
“We have interests that concern us, foremost among them the water issue, and we seek, according to established agreements, a fair and equitable share of water for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,” according to the Iraqi News Agency (WAA).
The Iraqi minister clarified that “technicians are responsible,” stressing the necessity for “the quantity to be fair and equitable up to the Iraqi-Turkish borders, whether via the Tigris or via the Euphrates in the Haditha region in cooperation with Syria, and we have coordination in this regard.”
