Iraqi parliamentary committee proposes three-pronged plan to address water crisis

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee said the country's water crisis remains strategic even as recent rainfall has offered partial relief. Committee member Baiz Zarrari said International Organization for Migration reports indicate tens of thousands of villagers and livestock breeders in marshland areas of southern cities have lost their livelihoods and migrated to urban centers, adding pressure on infrastructure and basic services. Zarrari called for updating legal agreements with source countries, led by Turkey, Iran and Syria, to activate water diplomacy and preserve historic rights over the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The committee asked the federal government, under the coordination of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources, to set out a clear road map for negotiations with neighbors, modernize irrigation systems and deliver urgent support to the hardest-hit areas. The committee member outlined three main pillars: binding international agreements, modern water management and the sustainable use of treated and groundwater. He warned that desertification and shrinking forest cover are worsening, citing previously released official data showing agricultural land has halved and large parts of the country fall within arid climate zones. The committee called for a clear negotiation timeline and emergency relief to affected communities, with no further details immediately available.