Iraqi MP sounds alarm over catastrophic water shortage
On Wednesday, an Iraqi MP issued an urgent appeal to Iraq's federal government to rescue Babil province from what he described as a catastrophic water shortage.
Residents expressed the concerns in interviews with Shafaq News, voicing alarm over the worsening environmental crisis and its impact on agriculture and daily life.
Iraq's drought crisis has reached unprecedented levels due to years of low rainfall driven by climate change, compounded by declining water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The drop in inflows is largely attributed to water policies in Iran and Turkiye, particularly dam construction and the diversion of river courses.
Earlier, Forbes magazine warned that Iraq, already among the world's driest countries, faces an unprecedented drought with potentially devastating consequences noting that the country's strategic water reserves have fallen to just 10 billion cubic meters—half the amount needed for the summer and significantly below last year's 20 billion.
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