Iraq Faces Severe Water Crisis Threatening 20 Million People

Iraq Faces Severe Water Crisis Threatening 20 Million People
……………….

Iraq is confronting one of its worst water shortages in a century, with the parliamentary agriculture committee warning that up to 20 million citizens are at risk as levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers continue to decline. The crisis, driven largely by upstream dam projects in neighboring countries, particularly Turkey, has reduced river flows by around 27% compared to historical averages. Combined with reduced rainfall and prolonged drought—the harshest since 1933—the shortage is reshaping rural communities and threatening mass displacement from agricultural lands into already burdened cities.

In Basra, home to 3.5 million people and a key hub for Iraq’s oil and maritime trade, residents are experiencing daily water rationing, walking long distances for potable water, and facing rising salinity as seawater from the Gulf intrudes inland. Experts warn that poor water management and corruption have deepened the crisis, eroding state institutions’ ability to respond.

The agriculture committee cautioned that shrinking water supplies endanger food security, fisheries, and farmland, with salinity already wiping out dozens of marine species. Iraq’s water reserves have fallen sharply—from a historical 70 billion cubic meters to under 40 billion—leaving the country in what experts describe as a “perfect storm” of external and internal pressures.