Protests in Baghdad due to water and electricity outages as temperatures rise

Amid scorching summer temperatures, dozens of protesters gathered in Baghdad on Tuesday to condemn the water and electricity shortages in Iraq, holding neighboring Turkey responsible for the declining water levels in the rivers that flow through the country.

The United Nations ranks Iraq among the five countries most affected by some of the effects of climate change, and for the fourth consecutive year, the nation is witnessing a severe drought according to authorities.

The decline in rainfall and rising temperatures contribute to the crisis. However, besides the drought and lack of rainfall, the Iraqi government also objects to Turkey and Iran building dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, leading to a sharp reduction in the water flow reaching Iraqi lands.

Under the blazing sun, protesters gathered in a square in the capital, denouncing Turkey's role in the depletion of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate from its territory, and the lack of action by the Iraqi government on this matter, as per a photographer from AFP.

Protesters waved Iraqi flags and held banners reading, "If the Turkish government continues to starve Iraqis, we will internationalize the water issue and boycott Turkish goods."

Najih Judah Khalil, a protester who came from Babylon province in central Iraq, said, "There is no water. We came for a peaceful demonstration to demand action from the government and the upstream countries regarding water."

He added, dressed in traditional attire, "Agricultural areas and marshes are gone. There is no electricity, and there is no water."

Their demonstration coincided with a protest by veterinary doctors demanding government employment.

The summer reflects the overlapping crises that the 43 million inhabitants of Iraq experience on a daily basis, ranging from the deterioration of the electricity sector to the continuous rise in temperatures, in addition to the water shortage.

The water issue remains a source of tension between Iraq and Turkey, and Iraq has repeatedly urged Ankara to release more water.

Khalid North, spokesperson for the Ministry of Water Resources, told AFP in response to a question about the water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, "Iraq currently receives only 35% of its natural water entitlement, meaning that Iraq is losing 65% of its raw water entitlement, whether from the Tigris or the Euphrates."

In July 2022, Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad, Ali Reza Gona, sparked controversy when he accused Iraqis of "wasting water."

 

 

 

 

 

AFP