2023-09-14 17:32:47
September 14, 2023
Baghdad/Al-Masala Al-Hadath: The Ministry of Water Resources indicated a slight decline in the strategic reserve of groundwater, attributing the matter to the lack of renewal of that water, especially in desert areas, while confirming that Iraq possesses approximately 15 groundwater storage reservoirs.
Director General of the General Authority for Irrigation and Reclamation Projects and official spokesman for the Ministry, Khaled Shamal, said in a statement followed by Al-Masala, that the Ministry indicated a slight decline in the strategic reserve of groundwater, due to the scarcity and lack of renewal of that water in desert areas in particular, pointing out that the Ministry emphasizes the importance of preserving This water is constantly monitored by its water monitoring centers.
He added that the Ministry has identified four million dunums for agriculture using well water (groundwater) due to the scarcity of surface water in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, indicating that the Ministry seeks to reduce the size of agricultural lands that depend on groundwater to preserve that water.
He pointed out that Iraq has 15 groundwater reservoirs, and the most important of these reservoirs used in agriculture are Dammam and Umm Radmah in the western and southern desert, and they draw the most groundwater from other reservoirs, in addition to other reservoirs, namely Anjana, Bay Hassan, and Al-Muqdadiya.
Iraq is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, in light of the high rate of drought due to the water crisis, and temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in the summer.
Researcher and engineer, Adnan Abu Zaid, who lives in London, says that the drought will change the way Iraqis live, draw a new social and economic system, and will even change many prevailing cultures and beliefs. It will also ultimately lead to changing the way Iraqis think about their outlook on life.
The water crisis, as a result of the lack of rainfall in recent years and the lack of water flows, is the main reason for the increasing rates of desertification and the lack of fertile lands.
Statistics indicate that Iraq loses 100 thousand dunums annually due to the problem of desertification and desert encroachment.
Reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations indicate that the forest area in Iraq no longer constitutes only 8,250 square kilometers, or 2% of the country’s area.
The United Nations attributes the decline of forests to many reasons, including erosion, climate change, and water scarcity, as well as military operations, unjust cutting, population expansion, and more.
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