ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources revealed Monday that a recent rain spell covering the country has contributed to reviving Iraq’s central marshes and the increase of its water reserves.

A spell of torrential downpour hit Iraqi provinces starting Thursday and continuing for several days, predominantly in the country’s central areas. Floods ensued in Baghdad along with several other provinces following the heavy rainfall, resulting in the closure of schools in the Iraqi capital.

“The rains that fell on the country during the past few days were stored in storage control systems, which led to a significant increase in water storage of 200 million cubic meters distributed equally between dams and reservoirs,” read a statement from the ministry.

“The rains secured full irrigation for all agricultural lands, crops, and even orchards, and water storage in the marsh areas also revived significantly,” the statement added.

The marshes, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have been severely affected by climate change. Increasing temperatures and drought have dealt great damage to the marshes.

In late 2023, the severe scarcity of water across the marshes led to scenes of water buffalos – the landmark icons of the marshlands – dropping dead due to a lack of water across the cracked barren lands.

Water scarcity has been a long-standing and critical issue for Iraq, exacerbated by upstream dams constructed by Turkey along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These dams have significantly reduced water flow into Iraq, intensifying the country’s existing water shortages.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, a former water resources minister, has repeatedly highlighted combating water scarcity as one of the main priorities on his agenda as president of Iraq.