Iraq’s Tigris River Faces Severe Decline Amid Pollution, Drought and Upstream Dams

Iraq’s Tigris River Faces Severe Decline Amid Pollution, Drought and Upstream Dams
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Iraq’s Tigris River, a lifeline for millions and a foundation of some of the world’s oldest civilizations, is facing severe environmental decline that threatens livelihoods, public health and ancient religious communities along its banks, The Guardian reported.

The river, which rises in southeastern Turkey and flows through major Iraqi cities including Mosul and Baghdad before joining the Euphrates, has suffered decades of pollution, shrinking water levels and poor management. Today, an estimated 18 million Iraqis depend on the Tigris basin for drinking water, agriculture, industry and power generation.

Water quality has deteriorated sharply since the destruction of Iraq’s water infrastructure during the 1991 Gulf war, followed by years of sanctions and conflict. Only about 30% of urban households are connected to sewage treatment facilities, a figure that drops to less than 2% in rural areas. Untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, industrial waste and medical refuse routinely enter the river. In 2018, more than 118,000 people in Basra were hospitalized after consuming contaminated water.

The river’s flow has also declined significantly. Over the past three decades, dams built in Turkey and Iran have reduced water reaching Baghdad by about one-third. Within Iraq, agriculture consumes roughly 85% of surface water, often inefficiently. Climate change has compounded the crisis, with rainfall down by about 30% and the country experiencing its worst drought in nearly a century.

Environmental groups warn that falling water levels concentrate pollutants, worsening health risks. Although Iraq and Turkey signed a cooperation mechanism on water management in November, critics say it lacks transparency and binding commitments.

For communities such as the Mandaeans, whose religious practices depend on flowing river water, the decline of the Tigris poses an existential threat, accelerating displacement and cultural loss.