Iraq intends to build a large water dam on the Shatt al-Arab, to conserve its water, treat salinity and prevent its expansion, which it has suffered from for years in light of the decline in water flow from neighboring countries and the lack of rain, as well as the reduction of its agricultural areas due to climate change.

It is noteworthy that Iraq has not built dams for a long time, but the dam that it seeks to build faces an objection about its location, between being shared with Iran and being far from Iranian territorial waters, and it is waiting for the controversy to be resolved to start building it.

Iraq has announced that the Italian Technical Company has finished preparing designs for the construction of the dam, which is hoped to conserve billions of meters of waste water in the Shatt al-Arab, and end the water scarcity in the southern regions.

Al Sadd Objectives

According to the advisor to the Water Quality Improvement Committee of the General Secretariat in the Iraqi Council of Ministers, Najm Abdul Tarish, the dam, whose designs were completed by the Italian company "Technical", will work to regulate the movement of water and stop its flow and waste, in addition to preventing salt water from forming saline tongues inside Iraqi territory, especially In Basra Governorate (southern of the country), it will also contribute to providing large quantities of water to the southern governorates, especially Basra and Dhi Qar, and completely end the water scarcity in this region, and will also help feed the marshes in the event of a drop in their water levels.

Tarish stressed that the dam was designed in a way that helps the flow of 70 meters per second of water, which is enough to cultivate 550,000 acres, noting that it will also contribute to the revival of thousands of acres of orchards affected by salinity and drought.

He indicated that the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers strongly supports the implementation of this project, and has made great strides in this field, stressing that it is determined to complete it, as its total cost is about one billion dollars, and its implementation can be started, especially with the current financial abundance of oil sales at high prices. globally.

Tarish noted that the project faces an objection from Iran regarding its impact on its ports in the Shatt al-Arab, adding that this can be resolved through the construction of the dam south of Basra (Abu Flos area) about 20 kilometers, and this reassures the Iranians that their ports will not be damaged.

The expert Ramadan: The dam project is necessary, but it must be in integration with the drainage and sewage water system (Al-Jazeera Net)

"Abu Flos" .. the site of the construction of the dam

The senior expert on water strategies and policies, Dr. Ramadan Hamza Mohamed, believes that the project is necessary;

But it should be - according to his opinion - integrating with the drainage water system (polluted water returning from rivers and not suitable for drinking or agriculture and being muddy), sewage water after treatment, and water coming to the Shatt al-Arab, and he believes that the best location for the construction of the dam is the Abu Flus area .

Muhammad tells Al Jazeera Net that it is better to design the components of the dam in two parts;

The first is submersible concrete and the other is cumulus complementary to the submerged part, so that there will be a navigation channel for the crossing of ships and marine boats, as well as there must be a smuggler that opens when floods, indicating that this project will contribute to containing the current water crisis, which has reached dangerous levels, as the construction of the dam has become one of Priorities, he said.

Finding solutions to treat salinity

The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources says that the goal of establishing the dam is to find realistic solutions to treat salinity and prevent salt expansion in the Shatt al-Arab, reaching it from the Persian Gulf.

An official source in the ministry confirms to Al-Jazeera Net (preferring anonymity) that there is a study to identify 3 sites to choose the appropriate site in terms of technical, environmental, economic and social aspects, provided that the appropriate quantity and quality of water is secured for municipal, industrial and irrigation uses in the project area, in addition to securing Navigation in the Shatt al-Arab River after the construction of the dam.

The water expert, Dr. Maha Rashid, has a different opinion, as she confirms that there is no water wasted in the Shatt al-Arab, since what reaches the Shatt al-Arab in Basra governorate does not exceed 20 cubic meters per second, while it requires the provision of at least 50 cubic meters per second, in addition to that the establishment of The dam will lead to waterlogging and an increase in salinity.

Dr. Maha - a professor of civil engineering at Tigris University - told Al Jazeera Net that the construction of the dam may lead to the storage of water contaminated with sewage, and this requires water purification procedures.

Problems with choosing the site of the dam

The head of the Basra Agricultural Engineers Syndicate, Engineer Alaa Al-Badran, says that the water authorities have previously submitted proposals for the construction of the dam on the Shatt al-Arab, including the University of Basra.

He explained that most of the proposals focused on establishing it in the Abu Flus area, that is, before the border with Iran to avoid the Iranian drainage water flowing towards the Shatt al-Arab, and because of the existence of an Iraqi drainage project that extends from Wasit Governorate to Basra, east of the Tigris River.

Al-Badran confirms to Al-Jazeera Net that Iran did not object to the construction of the dam at this site, but it suggested establishing the dam in the Ras Al-Bishah area, in which Iraq and Iran share the Shatt Al-Arab, while Iraq submitted its reservation to that proposal, but the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources submitted a proposal to establish the dam in Ktaiban area in Basra, but the Basra local government objected, because it would cause salinization of the marshes, in addition to the cost of using and managing water in the areas south of the dam.

 Al-Amin saw that the dam would contribute to reducing salinity in the water that feeds palm groves and agricultural lands (Al-Jazeera Net)

Economic analyst Malath Al-Amin believes that the importance of building the dam lies in its contribution to reducing the impact of the salt tongue on the water that feeds palm groves and agricultural lands.

He said that the dam, if constructed, could provide control over water and the possibility of impounding or draining it according to need and preventing its waste.

In addition, the project, if implemented, would contribute to providing job opportunities and employing hundreds of manpower and dozens of unemployed technical hands.