UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Wednesday that the “rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates are drying up”, with water flows dramatically declining due to dam construction in Turkey, water mismanagement and the climate crisis.
Speaking from Baghdad, Iraq, the leader of the United Nations (UN) indicated that the country’s water shortage is “exacerbated by the reduction of flows from abroad, unsustainable management of water and now increasingly by climate change”.
“It is a threat that requires international attention,” Guterres added during a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani.
The former Portuguese prime minister recalled that Mesopotamia (a historical area encompassing present-day Iraq) means “the land between the rivers” and that “agriculture first flourished about 10,000 years ago” in this region.
“It breaks my heart to see farmers forced to leave the land they have cultivated for millennia,” Guterres lamented about the severe drought the country is experiencing, which is affecting its water resources and food security.
Iraq’s drought has also worsened in recent years due to record low rainfall and rising temperatures, factors which show that “Iraq is one of the countries most affected by climate change,” the secretary-general pleaded.
Guterres remembered that too Global warming also causes displacement, threatens food security, destroys livelihoods, fuels conflict and undermines human rights, especially of the most vulnerable populations.
In this sense, he stated that the UN water conference will take place in New York at the end of this month, in which he expects the participation of Iraq.
For his part, the Iraqi Prime Minister indicated that there are areas on the World Heritage List “threatened by water shortages”, adding that these consequences “coincide with the water policies of neighboring countries”.
In Iraq, the drought has dragged on for more than three years, despite Baghdad’s accusations against the countries in the basin of the two main rivers, mainly Turkey (where the Euphrates and Tigris rise) and Iran (where the Karun, an important tributary of the Tigre), for non-compliance with water quota agreements.
Guterres last visited Iraq six years ago, so he will take advantage of the recent trip to meet with various government officials and reiterate the UN’s commitment to support the country’s development.
Source: DN
