ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Marshlands in southern Iraq are drying up due to worsening drought and declining groundwater levels, a local official warned, as authorities scramble to mitigate the crisis that has already displaced over 10,000 families.
“Most of the marshlands in the north of our province have dried up, and we are trying to revive some of them through the Tigris River, but there is no solution for the other dried marshlands in our province,” said Zeinab al-Asadi, head of the provincial agriculture committee in Dhi Qar.
The Tigris River, one of Iraq’s two major waterways, flows from Turkey through northern and central Iraq and is a vital source of water for agriculture, drinking, and the marshlands.
“The groundwater level in our province has decreased significantly, and groundwater continues to drop further. This is a major problem facing the residents,” Asadi added.
According to Dhi Qar’s meteorology directorate, less than 50 millimeters of rain fell in the province last winter - a decline from over 80 millimeters recorded in previous years.
“This year, there was a drought in our province. The water level in the marshlands has decreased to nearly half a meter, when previously none of them were less than a meter [deep],” Asadi said.
“Certainly, in this season, that remaining half meter will also decrease, because much of it will evaporate,” she said.
The prolonged drought and desertification have already displaced thousands of people. The local office of the Ministry of Migration and Displacement reported that by October, more than 10,000 families had been forced to move out of areas surrounding the marshlands.
“Part of the citizens were displaced due to the drying of marshlands and desertification,” Asadi said.
To address the crisis, Asadi said they are coordinating with the Ministry of Water Resources to dig new artesian wells across the province.
Dhi Qar is home to much of Iraq’s historic marshlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered one of the most fertile and ecologically significant areas in the country. The province’s population is over 2 million, according to Iraq’s census done in November.
Iraq’s water crisis has been exacerbated by five consecutive years of drought, soaring temperatures, and the construction of upstream dams in neighboring Turkey and Iran. These dams have sharply reduced water inflows into Iraq, leaving the country with less than 40 percent of its entitled share from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers - Iraq’s primary water sources.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this reported.
