Water Shortage Shrinks Farming and Drives Migration in Duwaniyah

Water shortages in Badr district of Duwaniyah have hurt agriculture and drinking water supplies, leaving only 12,000 donums of more than 1 million donums of farmland currently cultivable, the district commissioner said. The strain has also accelerated migration from villages and rural areas into the district center, reshaping settlement patterns in the area. Officials said about 35 percent of the population has moved from villages and the countryside to the district center over the past five years, contributing to the formation of new residential areas. They said water scarcity, inadequate electricity services, unpaved roads and a shortage of schools were among the main reasons behind the movement. The authorities said some roads have been asphalted over the past two years and water projects are under way. They also said there are no longer any mud-brick schools in the district.