Tigris River flow rises after Turkish water release

Shafaq News – Ankara/Baghdad

Iraq’s Tigris River is witnessing a gradual rise in water levels following Turkiye’s decision to increase cross-border releases, Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab confirmed on Thursday.

Diab noted that the flow has climbed by more than 100 cubic meters per second, while the Euphrates has seen no comparable increase.

The impact on southern provinces is expected to be delayed, as water released from Mosul takes about 21 days to reach Basra, with substantial losses anticipated along the route due to evaporation and soil absorption, he explained.

Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani had announced that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had approved a daily discharge of 420 cubic meters per second into Iraq, though a technical official at Mosul Dam reported that outflows into the Tigris currently stand at 350 cubic meters per second, falling short of the volume stipulated in the agreement.

Meanwhile, the Iraq Green Observatory cautioned that the increase is limited to a two-month period, adding that over 500 water buffalo have died in recent months due to severe drought.