Obeid Hamza, a farmer in the Gurziya village of Baghdad province, said he used to grow crops on all 45 dunams of his land, but government restrictions sparked by water shortages mean he can now only farm five dunams.
“The water is salty and does not flow. Can we not have fresh water? I cannot plant vegetables, eggplant, okra, and tomatoes – we can’t just live on wheat. Now, if someone buys my land, I will move to the city because I have nothing left,” Hamza told Rudaw.
“If there is no water, then how should I farm?” he lamented.
Gurziya was once home to 60 families. Today, only 40 remain, 20 have already moved to nearby centers, and the capital due to water shortages.
Water levels in Iraq’s dams and reservoirs are the lowest they have been in generations.
“It’s not important to know specifically the number, but we have recorded the lowest shortage level in the past 80 years. However, as ministry solutions, we deal with the storage professionally and expertly,” said agriculture ministry spokesperson Khalid Shamal.
“God willing, this summer will pass safely,” he added.
On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani launched the “Our Water, Our Future” national initiative to protect the country’s historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers from climate change and to battle water scarcity.
“We are determined to overcome obstacles and achieve lasting water security for Iraq - advancing development that meets future needs, serves our people’s interests, and opens the door to greater regional partnership and mutual benefit,” Sudani said.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are Iraq’s main water source, with 75 percent flowing downstream from neighboring Iran and Turkey, and 20 to 25 percent from internal sources. Both Iran and Turkey have built extensive dam networks on shared rivers. While Iran affects water flow through tributaries like the Karun and Karkheh, Turkey controls the headwaters via large dams upstream.
In late February, Torhan al-Mufti, advisor to Sudani on water, told Rudaw that Iraq is among the top 15 countries most impacted by climate change. He also said that Baghdad “lacks a clear agreement with neighboring countries,” namely Iran and Turkey, “regarding water distribution.”
The rivers, essential for drinking water, irrigation, and power generation, are also heavily polluted.
