Peregraf- Iraq's water reserves have risen to approximately 34 billion cubic meters, marking a significant improvement from last year, when storage fell to one of its lowest levels in decades, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Monday.
Ministry spokesperson Khaled Shamal told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that water storage at the end of the spring season and snowmelt period reached more than 34 billion cubic meters, compared with just 5 billion cubic meters at the start of the previous winter, which he described as one of the lowest levels recorded since 1934.
Shamal said fill rates at Iraq's main dams, including Mosul, Dokan, and Darbandikhan, currently range between 70% and 80%, while sufficient reserve capacity has been maintained to accommodate future inflows.
He said the main challenges this summer are extreme temperatures, increased evaporation, violations of water quotas, excessive irrigation, and inefficient water use by some government institutions and citizens.
According to Shamal, more than 70% of Iraq's water originates from neighboring countries, primarily Turkey, followed by Iran and Syria. He said current inflows are at medium to good levels and described the outlook as reassuring.
The ministry aims to preserve water reserves above 20 billion cubic meters until the next winter season while continuing negotiations with neighboring countries, expanding modern irrigation projects with Turkey, and enforcing stricter measures against water quota violations.
Shamal said all major dams and barrages, including Mosul, Haditha, Dokan, Darbandikhan, Al-Adhaim, Samarra, Kut, Hindiyah, and Amara, are undergoing routine maintenance and inspections to ensure their safe operation.