BAGHDAD, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday that the drought affecting the country is due to low rainfall and reduced water inflows from upstream countries, warning of severe water insecurity across the country.
This year is "one of the driest since 1933," the ministry's spokesperson Khalid Shamal said in a statement, warning that inflow rates in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins have reached only 27 percent of what they were last year.
The current water storage in dams and reservoirs represents only 8 percent of the total storage capacity, a 57 percent decrease compared to last year, it said.
The sharp decline has severely impacted securing water needs across all Iraqi provinces, particularly in the central and southern regions, the statement said.
The ministry warned that the continued decline in water inflows and the lack of cooperation from upstream countries will aggravate the water crisis and pose a threat to the country's water security.
Iraq has long struggled with water scarcity due to climate change, irregular rainfall, and unstable inflow of water from upstream countries.
