Baghdad – IA – Muhammad Al-Talbi
Today, Wednesday, the Ministry of Water Resources announced that it has taken two measures to enhance water in the Euphrates Basin, while confirming that the government has made an important and historic transition in the water file.
The ministry’s official spokesman, Khaled Shamal, told the (INA): “Iraq’s water revenues are witnessing a decline from the Turkish side, especially in the Euphrates Basin,” explaining that “the water file was previously a diplomatic file managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and technically, It is managed by Water Resources.
He added, “The current government made an important and historic transition in the water file, as the file became managed by the Prime Minister after it turned into a sovereign file,” pointing out that “the water file included all aspects related to the common interests between Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria.”
He stated that “the Iraqi government considers the water file one of the most important national security files for Iraq and there is no room for neglecting it,” pointing out that “over the past forty years, Turkey has implemented dozens of major dam projects, including 22 dams on the Tigris and Euphrates basins, and everything stored in the dams.” Now Iraq’s water revenues were previously, so the operation of these large facilities has become harmful to Iraq.
He pointed out that “Iraq currently receives about 40% of its water entitlements% Only, in the Tigris and Euphrates, it loses 60 of its water rights%“What affected Iraq’s strategic reserves, the agricultural plan, production related to agriculture, industrial production, livestock, fisheries, and marshes, and the quality of water in the Tigris and Euphrates, in addition to the climate impacts, high temperatures, and drought phenomenon that is hitting the world greatly, especially Iraq.”
He stated that “Iraq is considered one of the five countries most affected by rising temperatures and climate change, which prompted the government to take many measures related to the water resources, agriculture, and environment sectors that contributed to alleviating this damage.”
Regarding strengthening the Euphrates River with water, Shamal explained, “The Ministry is taking important and significant measures to strengthen the Euphrates River from two important places, the first from Lake Tharthar at a rate of 100 cubic meters per second, and the other from the Tigris directly through the irrigation canal from the Samarra Dam with the same amount to compensate for the shortfall.” In the water.”