Prime minister approves a set of measures to alleviate Iraq's water crisis

Shafaq News/ Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Thursday presided over the first meeting of the National High Committee for Water, an official statement by his bureau said.

The statement said that the meeting was attended by the ministers of water, reconstruction and municipalities, agriculture, and environment, in addition to the cabinet's secretary-general and a slew of government officials and advisors.

The committee, the statement read, discussed the water scarcity crisis in Iraq, its impact on agriculture and the living conditions of the people, and the water resources ministry's measures to cope with it.

Prime Minister al-Sudani said that water scarcity is a global crisis that is not limited to Iraq alone, calling for swift action that incorporates legal, executive, and diplomatic efforts.

The premier approved a set of recommendations to alleviate the water crisis. This includes, according to the statement, employing sewage treatment technology and removing encroachments on rivers.

The meeting touched upon the seasonal agricultural plan, and the prime minister approved a proposal that favors loan applications from farmers who use modern agricultural technology, like spraying and drip irrigation, the statement concluded.