Water levels coming from Turkey in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers decreased by half, says Iraqi Water Ministry

BAGHDAD — During a press conference on Monday, the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, Mahdi Rashid, announced that water levels coming from Turkey in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were halved, indicating that the tributaries of the Darbandikhan Dam had reached zero, while the Lower Zab decreased by 70%.

Rashid also indicated that they received news about Iran diverting some tributaries, including the Sirwan River and some of the waters of the Diyala tributary, stressing that this information was verified through their technical monitoring in the Ministry. He noted that the long-term consequences of such a drastic reduction in water flows would be catastrophic for the people and environment of Iraq.

In related news, across the border in North and East Syria, the Kibr Water Station in wester Dayro (Deir ez-Zor) went out of service due to the drastic drop in the water level, depriving roughly 70,000 people of water.

Residents of North and East Syria are concerned that the water pumps will continue to be out of service due to the increasing decline in the water level of the Euphrates River during the coming summer, putting the lives of the region’s nearly four million inhabitants at risk.