Shafaqna English- The Euphrates River is running at historically low levels as the drought-stricken Iraq faces its worst water scarcity in living memory.
It’s 46 million people who face rising temperatures, chronic water shortages, and year-on-year droughts in a country intensely impacted by climate change. The impact has been felt most acutely in the south, where reduced flow is fuelling water pollution and the rapid spread of algae.
The once-mighty Tigris and Euphrates, which have irrigated the country for millennia, originate in Turkey, and authorities in Iraq have repeatedly blamed upstream Turkish dams for significantly reducing river flows.
“In recent weeks, the Euphrates has seen its lowest water levels in decades,” particularly in the south, said Al-Khateeb, an expert from the University of Kufah.
Iraq currently receives less than 35 percent of its allocated share of the Tigris and Euphrates, according to authorities.
Sources: Iraqi News