Iraq facing water crisis if deal with Turkey not reached, official warns

2021-01-11 15:30:26

Iraq's Water Resources Minister Mehdi Rashid Al-Hamdani yesterday warned that his country would face a water crisis if it does not reach a deal with Turkey, the New Khaleej reported. Al-Hamdani stressed on the importance of finalising the issue of water with Turkey, the news site reported Al-Arabiya TV saying, "but Turkey wants two months to study this issue." In July 2020, Iraq's Agriculture Ministry warned that the farming sector in the country would be negatively affected if a solution is not found for the water crisis with Turkey. The Tigris and Euphrates are considered the main water resources in Iraq, but water levels have decreased over the past years due to dams being built by upstream countries Turkey and Iran. In September 2020, the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi parliament formed a delegation headed by Al-Hamdani to negotiate the issue of water with neighbouring countries.