The Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, Mahdi Rashid Al-Hamdani, called for the need to return to the Algiers Agreement signed since 1975 related to the sharing of the waters of the Shatt Al-Arab River, to solve the problem of the scarcity of water flow from Iran.
Al-Hamdani said - during the first water security conference in Baghdad today, Saturday - that his country has activated a memorandum of understanding with Turkey concluded in 2009 and amended in 2014, allowing Iraq to obtain a full share, pointing out that there is a joint committee with Turkey based in Iraq to coordinate on the water issue.
Al-Hamdani said that the Iraqi Council of Ministers took executive measures to determine the share of water coming from Turkey.
He noted that the water coming from Iran - although it is 15% as water imports - greatly affects the Diyala Governorate (in the east of the country);
Because the entire province is fed with water from Iran.
Al-Hamdani stated that the upstream countries took advantage of the Iraqi situation after the US invasion in 2003, and established several projects. He pointed out that the great development and increase in population growth burdened the ministry with additional burdens in order to secure drinking water and agriculture.
It is noteworthy that 90% of the sources of rivers that flow in Iraq come from outside its territory.
The minister pointed out that security and water are closely linked, and that dealing with the water file is "very sensitive," noting that the ministry has developed a strategic study in partnership with all state institutions until 2035, and this study needs a lot of money, and the state's financial situation cannot bear that.
And the Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qassem al-Araji, confirmed that he did not waive Iraq's water rights, and explained - in his speech during the conference - that "the Ministry of Water Resources is working seriously to preserve Iraq's water resources, because it is involved in all life affairs."
Al-Araji stressed that the National Security Adviser is supportive of the efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources, and the national merit must be defended.