05-07-2025
Iraqi MP: Turkiye using water as leverage in dam talks
Shafaq News – Baghdad/Ankara
Iraq's water crisis remains unresolved amid sharply reduced flows from Turkiye, with a parliamentary committee affirming that only new dam construction can secure the country's long-term water needs.
MP Thaer Mukhayef told Shafaq News that Ankara has linked any increase in water releases to Iraq awarding dam contracts to Turkish companies. He cautioned that failure to honor the bilateral water agreement could trigger widespread protests in drought-hit regions.
Mukhayef urged Iraqi authorities to intensify efforts to alleviate severe shortages in the country's southern and central provinces. 'The situation in the southern provinces and the Euphrates basin is dire,' he said.
A source at Mosul Dam confirmed earlier to Shafaq News that water releases into the Tigris River have reached 350 cubic meters per second. Although inflows from Turkiye have risen slightly, they remain well below levels outlined in the water agreement.
Iraq faces mounting water insecurity due to extreme heat, low rainfall, and shrinking reserves. Experts warn the crisis will have serious social consequences, particularly in the southern marshlands, including rising poverty, reverse migration, and growing tensions over access to water.
