Al-Sadr calls for talks with Turkiye on Iraq’s water shortage
Shafaq News – Najaf
On Wednesday, Muqtada al-Sadr, head of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), urged Iraqi authorities to open dialogue with Turkiye to secure larger water releases, warning that national reserves are running out.
On X, al-Sadr described Iraq as already caught in the global water crisis, pointing to shrinking rainfall, declining river flows, and dangerously low storage levels. He pressed for urgent domestic measures such as constructing dams and storage facilities, expanding desalination for drinking water, enforcing penalties on wasteful consumption, and using wells to irrigate crops.
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) September 17, 2025
Any delay, he cautioned, would bring grave consequences for health and agriculture, leaving Iraqis “victims after already suffering an electricity crisis.”
Iraq is enduring its harshest water year in decades, the Ministry of Water Resources has warned, citing reduced rainfall and declining inflows from upstream countries, including Turkiye. Authorities warn the country could lose up to 20% of its water resources by 2035 due to climate change, upstream dam projects, and aging infrastructure.
Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues
