Iraqi MP sounds alarm over catastrophic water shortage

Shafaq News – Babil

On Wednesday, Habib al-halaqi, an Iraqi lawmaker, urged the federal government to intervene urgently to address what he called a catastrophic water shortage in Babil province.

In interviews with Shafaq News, residents expressed their concern, voicing alarm over the environmental crisis and its impact on agriculture and daily life.

Iraq’s drought crisis has reached unprecedented levels due to years of low rainfall driven by climate change, compounded by declining water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The drop in inflows is largely attributed to water policies in Iran and Turkiye, particularly dam construction and the diversion of river courses.

Earlier, Forbes magazine warned that Iraq, already among the world’s driest countries, faces an unprecedented drought with potentially devastating consequences, noting that the country’s strategic water reserves have fallen to just 10 billion cubic meters—half the amount needed for the summer and significantly below last year’s 20 billion.