Iraq May Face Water Shortage In 2035 - Health Committee Head

Iraq could face a severe lack of water in 2035, with shortages reaching 11 billion cubic meters, the head of the Iraqi parliamentary committee on health and environment said on Thursday

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2023) Iraq could face a severe lack of water in 2035, with shortages reaching 11 billion cubic meters, the head of the Iraqi parliamentary committee on health and environment said on Thursday.

"A serious problem awaits us. In 2035, water shortages may reach 11 billion cubic meters. This will greatly affect the food security and national security of Iraq," Majed Khalaf Hamo Masto said at the 10th Nevsky International Ecological Congress in Russia's St. Petersburg.

The problem of water shortage has led to a reduction in the production of agricultural products in Iraq, he said, adding that the Iraqi government intends to strengthen relations with Turkey and Iran to increase water supplies.

In 2022, Iraq faced a complex water crisis, which the United Nation's migration agency expected to persist as the intake from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Iraq's two main sources of water, had been decreasing at an unprecedented rate. The water crisis can be attributed to the construction of upstream dams and a prolonged drought.