Iraq demands Turkey provide water share of Tigris, Euphrates
ERBIL, KRI, Iraq (North Press) – The Iraqi government has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request Turkey to increase the water flows of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
This came during the fourth meeting of the Supreme Water Committee with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
A statement from the Iraqi Council of Ministers said that al-Sudani chaired the fourth meeting of the Supreme Water Committee. The discussions during the meeting focused on water resources and the key issues associated with this matter.
During the meeting, various topics were addressed, with particular emphasis on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ request to Turkey for an increase in water flows of the Euphrates River along the Turkish-Syrian border. In addition, discussions revolved around the need to augment water supplies of the Tigris River.
In May, al-Sudani emphasized during the Third International Water Conference in Baghdad that the decline in the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers requires urgent international intervention, describing the water scarcity as a serious threat to Iraq.
The Euphrates River, originating from Turkey, passes through Syria, particularly starting from Kobani and extending to the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal, near the border with Iraq.
Iraq has demanded that Turkey adhere to the 1987 agreement concerning the water allocation in the Euphrates River. According to the agreement, Turkey is obligated to provide Syria with 500 cubic meters of water per second. However, Turkey has reduced the flow to less than 250 cubic meters.
On Nov. 9, a study by World Weather Attribution revealed that Iran, Iraq and Syria have been grappling with an unprecedented three-year drought since the boreal winter of 2020.