Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide
Da Silva: Even the Jewish people do not want this war; it is revenge by a government against the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state
Brazilian President Lula da Silva: What we are seeing is not a war between two armies. [What we have is a] completely professional army that is killing women and children in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: We affirm our readiness to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention
Hamas: We welcome the continued Qatari and Egyptian efforts to end the war waged by the Zionist occupation against our people
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces blew up Noura Al-Kaabi Hospital, designated for kidney dialysis patients, in the northern Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli drone targets a car on the Ayta al-Shaab-Debel road in southern Lebanon
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Yahya Saree: The remaining airlines that have not yet complied with the ban are urged to take this into serious consideration to ensure the safety of their aircraft and passengers
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Yahya Saree: The YAF, after successfully imposing a partial ban on air traffic at Lydd Airport, are now working to impose a full ban on air traffic at the aforementioned airport in the coming period

Iraq's desertification exacerbated by climate crisis

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Jun 2022 14:09
4 Min Read

Iraqi officials are warning of the country's high pace of desertification, as well as other environmental and economic issues.

  • x
  • Iraq's desertification exacerbated by climate crisis
    Iraq's desertification exacerbated by climate crisis

The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture warned on May 8 that 90% of Iraqi agricultural land has desertified or is on the verge of desertification owing to climate change and water issues with Iran and Turkey.

The government had warned in 2020 that the rate of desertification in Iraq had climbed to 53%. This is a major threat not just to the environment, but also to food security, which has been jeopardized due to a decline in the yield of critical crops such as wheat, barley, and rice.

According to the government, Iraq ranks sixth in the world in terms of the severity of climate change consequences.

According to Rawya Mazal, the officer in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture's desertification dossier, problems contributing to the problem include global warming, drought, excessive use of water by farmers and civilians, as well as conflicts and military activities.

Read more: Iraq’s Agriculture Reaps the Despoiled Seeds of US Meddling

She explained that “Iraq urgently needs to negotiate with Turkey and Iran to release water, reduce water consumption and eliminate excessive use, and establish a canal to harvest rainwater, with desert oases."

Mazal emphasized that if immediate action is not taken, the Iraq scenario will be the worst in the region. She claims that dryness affects or threatens 92% of Iraq and that Sawa Lake near Samawah has totally dried up.

According to Adel Al-Mokhtar, Advisor to Parliament's Agriculture Committee, Iraq has 20 billion cubic meters of water reserves, which the country may deplete this year. Turkey, Iran, and Syria are also facing a water crisis that will require international collaboration to resolve.

Related News

Iraq condemns 'repeated Israeli assaults' on Lebanon

Iraq denies report claiming Trump ordered 'Iran-linked militias' pull

Al-Mokhtar claims that primitive irrigation practices, as well as informal fish lakes, squander key water sources. A shrinking agricultural footprint may cause up to seven million inhabitants to migrate from the countryside to cities, resulting in a serious problem in unemployment and service supply.

Iraq relies on the governorates of Saladin and Diyala to deliver fruits and vegetables to all inhabitants, but these have been the most hit places in the country thus far. Despite the paucity of water, Iraq wants to grow three million tons of wheat in the midst of the worldwide wheat crisis.

Raad Al-Tamimi, head of the Farmers Association, told Al-Monitor that “50% of the land in Diyala suffers from desertification, and the government has prevented us from cultivating strategic crops this season such as wheat, barley, and rice, which has contributed to the migration of 500,000 citizens from Diyala countryside to the city center since 2017.”

He accused the Ministry of Water Resources of squandering water by releasing water from the Lake Hamrin, Hamrin, and Alwand dams and flooding orchards in 2020, stating the water would have been useful for 3 years. He claimed Diyala will cease supplying the country with fruits and vegetables after this season since its grounds are at risk of desertification.

Tamimi advocated for the resumption of work on the Makhoul and Badush dams, which had been abandoned by the previous administration and had the capacity to hold over 20 billion cubic meters of water. He claimed that owing to a shortage of feed and water, the bulk of animals in Diyala had been sold or butchered.

In 2018, the Iraq Private Banks League and the Central Bank's Labour Fund (Tamkeen) started a campaign to plant two million seedlings.

According to Akram Al-Salmani, director of Al-Bayt al-Akhdar [Green House], the major cause of desertification is the removal of green belts around towns as a result of population increase.

With no government plans to develop new dwellings, residents have begun removing trees and bulldozing orchards to make way for new residences. According to Salmani, Iraq needs to plant 13 billion seedlings over the next 20 years.

He believes that bringing in multinational firms to invest in lands and extract groundwater using contemporary technologies is the greatest option, but if the situation continues the same, Iraqi farmers would quickly deplete the groundwater.

The government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi started paying attention to the green economy by launching a specialized program that includes agricultural investment, modern irrigation technology, and clean electricity production, but all this has yet to be implemented because the budget has not yet been approved.

  • Iraq
  • Climate change
  • Climate crisis

Most Read

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Russia-Ukraine peace talks resume in Istanbul amid escalating war
Europe

Ukraine, Russia head for Istanbul talks as battles rage, cmdr. resigns

Australia urged to join Macron-led push for Palestinian statehood
Asia Pacific

Australia urged to join Macron-led push for Palestinian statehood

‘Israel’ lost international legitimacy for war on Gaza: Israeli media
Palestine

‘Israel’ lost 'international legitimacy' for Gaza war: Israeli media

MSF Chief: US-Israeli aid plan in Gaza ‘Dehumanising’
Politics

US-Israeli aid plan in Gaza used as tool for forced displacement: MSF

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS