Iraq: We will file a complaint with the UN if Iran continues to block water flow

Iraq’s Minister of Water Resources says the flow of water from Iranian rivers has sharply decreased and has created problems for residents of Diyala province. He adds that if this issue is not resolved, Iraq will file a complaint with the United Nations.

Iraq has urged Iran to respect its water rights. Baghdad says Iran has violated international laws by diverting rivers that flow into Iraq as well as by constructing dams.

According to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani, Iraq’s Minister of Water Resources, said: “The Iranians have not given us any positive response to our demands and have continued to cut off water from the Serwan, Karun, Karkheh, and Alvand rivers, causing significant damage to residents of Diyala [a province in eastern Iraq] who depend on water flowing in from Iran.”

Al-Hamdani threatened that Iraq will file a complaint with the United Nations if Iran does not cooperate on its water rights.

According to Anadolu, Turkey released more water into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers last month to help Iraq overcome the crisis.

Iraq is entirely dependent on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provide over 90 percent of the country’s fresh water.

90 percent of the Euphrates’ annual water discharge originates from Turkish territory and 10 percent from Syrian territory. Regarding the Tigris River, Turkey provides 40 percent, Iraq 50 percent, and Iran 10 percent of the annual volume of water flowing in this river.

According to a report by the Strategic Research Center of Iran’s Presidential Institution, there are over 40 water sources between Iran and Iraq along the border of the two countries that are connected to each other.

The Diyala River, from which both Iran and Iraq benefit, is one of the main tributaries of the Tigris River.

The annual discharge of some of the Tigris tributaries located in Iranian territory has decreased due to dam construction projects and inter-basin water transfer schemes.

The negative consequences of inter-basin water transfer schemes in Iran, particularly in downstream areas such as Khuzestan, have become evident.

For this reason, Iraq has significant concerns about the impact of Iran’s water transfer projects on the quantity and quality of water flowing in its territory.

Source: DW