Shafaq News-Baghdad
More than halfof Iraq's territory is at risk of desertification, shrinking farmland, andaccelerating migration from rural areas, raising concerns over the country'sfood and water security, the Green Iraq Observatory warned on Wednesday.
On the WorldDay to Combat Desertification and Drought, the Observatory estimated that 96.5million dunams of land —55.5% of Iraq's total area— are threatened bydesertification. Another 40.4 million dunams, or 23.2% of the country, havealready been desertified, a figure that has increased by nearly 49% since 2021.
"Theenvironmental toll is increasingly visible across Iraq," it noted,pointing out that nearly 100,000 dunams of agricultural land are lost each yearto salinity, desert encroachment, and soil degradation. Declining watersupplies are also reducing the area suitable for cultivation.
Southernprovinces, including Dhi Qar, Maysan, al-Muthanna, and al-Diwaniyah, rank amongthe hardest-hit regions. Dry irrigation canals and shrinking farmland havedisrupted agricultural activity in dozens of villages, while falling waterlevels in the marshlands have damaged biodiversity and contributed to losses infish stocks and livestock.
: Iraq’s Green Belt: The race to forestall desertification
Although Iraq'swestern plateau is naturally desert, the observatory identified the spread ofdesert conditions into the fertile alluvial plain as a growing threat toagricultural production.
''Reduced flowsin the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, dams and irrigation projects in upstreamcountries, rising temperatures, declining rainfall, and higher evaporationrates have combined to accelerate land degradation,'' the report explained,adding that Iraq remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change,placing further pressure on already strained water resources.
The impact isalso reshaping communities. Thousands of farming families have left their homesin recent years after losing their livelihoods, increasing pressure on servicesand infrastructure in urban centers.
With someprojections suggesting Iraq could experience up to 200 dusty days a year, theObservatory urged authorities to expand afforestation projects, rehabilitatedegraded land, modernize irrigation systems, and intensify efforts to securethe country's water rights.
: The Dying Land: Iraq's Environmental Emergency
1 hectare= 10 dunams