PM:01:50:07/01/2026
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The Ministry of Water Resources says current water storage in Iraq’s dams is less than four billion cubic meters, while at least 18 billion cubic meters are needed to pass the summer without shortages, indicating that the risk of drought remains despite recent improvements.
Ghazwan Sahlani, deputy director general of irrigation projects at the Ministry of Water Resources, told the Sabah newspaper on Wednesday that around 80 percent of dams are still lacking sufficient water, increasing the likelihood of drought and water scarcity. He noted that the total storage capacity of all dams, ponds, and irrigation projects reaches 80 billion cubic meters.
Sahlani said water levels in dams fell to a 70 year low late last summer, with only three billion cubic meters available, far below the minimum required to meet summer needs. He added that 2019 was the best year for water storage, when reserves reached about 55 billion cubic meters.