Around 40 villages in southern Diyala face severe water shortage, official says

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A Diyala provincial council member said approximately 40 villages in the southern part of Bihriz Nahiye, east of Baghdad, are experiencing acute water shortages, blaming the crisis on drought and illegal withdrawals from rivers and canals that feed the area. Nizar Allahaybi said water currently reaches only the nahiye center, leaving villages to the south without an adequate share. He said residents have been forced to meet nearly all of their daily needs from wells, and that water flow has been cut along the line from Nazim al-Sudur to Bihriz. Allahaybi said an agreement has been reached with the Ministry of Water Resources to clean the full length of the Khreisan River, a step he said would allow water to reach damaged farmland and villages next season. He urged the relevant authorities to complete the cleanup work quickly and find a lasting solution to the drought in Bihriz's villages. Separately, officials in Diyala have said water releases along the border line in recent months have helped parts of the province recover, with gardens in Mandali reported to have come back to life for the first time in 25 years.