Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable nation to climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste mismanagement. Scorching temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius were recorded in Iraq in 2023, coupled with water scarcity, desertification, and reduced rainfall.
Haider AbdulKadhim, director of the immigration and displacement department in Najaf, said that 743 families have been displaced from the southern Iraqi provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna, and Diwaniyah to Najaf due to desertification.
“The displaced people came from specific areas that were exposed to desertification in these provinces, and they spread out in various places in Najaf province,” he told Rudaw’s Mushtaq Ramadhan, adding that Najaf has not experienced desertification in comparison to the other provinces.
Water shortage is one of the main challenges facing Iraq today. The World Resources Institute places it among 25 countries that face extreme water stress, meaning that it is using over 80 percent of its available supply of water and is at risk of running out of water in case of any short-term drought.
Droughts are more frequent and longer. Water reserves have decreased by half since 2022 due to a combination of drought, lack of rainfall, and declining river levels, according to the water ministry.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid in May said that the rate of water wastage in the drought-ridden country stands at around 60 percent.
The devastating effects of climate change are exacerbated by Turkish and Iranian dams upstream on the shared Tigris and Euphrates rivers, cutting Iraq off from much-needed water relief.
