Iraq has appealed to its neighbours to help increase the water flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Officials say that water projects going on in Turkey (the Ataturk Dam) and Syria (various) are hindering the country's water supplies. The comments were made during the recent international water management conference held in Jordan.
The officials added that, while supplies of fresh water were improving, it could takel as long as three years for all Iraqis to have access to safe water. The Iraqi Minister for Water Resources, Dr Abdul Latif Rashid, said that the loss of water Iraq has experienced needed to be remedied to enable the country to reclaim its own share of the Tigris and Euphrates.
"Before building these dams in Turkey or using water in Syria for large areas for irrigation, we were getting nearly 30 billion cubic metres of water," he said. "Now it's about a third of that amount, so the flow in both rivers - especially in the Tigris - has been reduced."
Dr Rashid said that Iraq was working with both sides to find a solution to the problem, adding that he also wants Iraq's neighbours to share information on water, rainfall and other hydrology issues to better enable cooperation with each other. He blamed the poor state of Iraq's infrastructure and past mismanagement for some of the water problems Iraqis are now facing.
Dr Rashid added that badly-needed maintenance has been undertaken in some neglected areas such as the south of the country, while water tankers are bringing supplies of drinking-water to other places. However, he added that until security improves, rebuilding efforts in Iraq's water sector will continue to be affected and there is little hope that the situation will be resolved swiftly.
Source: BBC
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