Via Global Risk Insights, a report on the link between water shortages, politics, and unrest in Iraq: Around 70% of Iraq’s water comes from sources outside of its territory, predominantly originating in Turkey and Iran. Since 1975, the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers from Turkey into Iraq has declined by 80%. Over 80% of Iraq’s current water […]
Read more »Via Future Directions International, an article on Four million people in the southern Iraqi province of Basra are water insecure, despite the Shatt al-Arab (formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers) flowing through the region. For many years, factors such as reduced water flow, sea water intrusion, pollution and mismanagement of the waterway, […]
Read more »Courtesy of Circle of Blue, a look at some simmering water crises that could boil over in 2019: In 2018, water sparked quarrels across the globe, from the mountains of Central Asia to the world’s driest desert. Water systems were also a casualty and target of conflict. In Eastern Ukraine, water infrastructure was shelled repeatedly. In Libya, a desalination […]
Read more »Via Future Directions International, a report on Turkey and Iraq water cooperation and competition: The Ilisu Dam is located on the Tigris River in Turkey, and, once filled, will be a source of both water and hydropower. In the past, Turkey has been criticised for withholding water behind other dams and reducing the flow into […]
Read more »Via Future Directions International, a report on Iraq’s water scarcity problems: The Iraqi Government has revealed plans to halve the irrigated area it plants with wheat and other winter grains. Cereal production for 2018 is predicted to be 4.3 million tonnesbelow average. The decision comes in response to water shortages that have helped to drive months of protests in southern […]
Read more »Via Future Directions International, a look at positive signals of cooperation between Iraq and Iran over water: On 25 July, the Iraqi Minister of Transport, Kazem Finjan al-Hamami announced that Iran has agreed to co-operate on the construction of a new dam on the Shatt al-Arab River. The move has come as Iraq has sought measures to […]
Read more »