ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture said Thursday that the country’s water reserves have dropped to dangerous levels, warning that rationing has become essential to protect water security.

Mahdi al-Qaisi, an adviser to the ministry, told the state-run al-Sabah newspaper that water storage in the main dams is declining at an alarming rate. He said conservation measures in agriculture, industry, and households are imperative, while also pushing for modern irrigation systems and alternative methods that use less water.

Qaisi noted that the upcoming winter planting season will be restricted because of the lower inflows, calling for precise policies to guide water distribution and usage.

He stressed that effective management of resources is now urgent to safeguard food security and to encourage investments in livestock and food production that rely on less water.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani also chaired a meeting to review progress on the al-Badaa Canal project, alongside the water resources minister and other officials.

The talks focused on completing a critical 65-kilometer section through sandy and gypsum-rich areas, as well as advancing a pipeline project to help the country cope with drought conditions.

Officials discussed removing customs barriers for essential materials and ensuring financial support to speed up the project’s completion.

The Green Iraq Observatory in early September warned that Turkey’s dam network has drastically reduced Iraq’s water inflows, intensifying an already severe crisis. Turkey has built about 20 dams over four decades, holding roughly 80 billion cubic meters of water, eight times the capacity of Iraq’s Mosul Dam.

As a result, Iraq now receives only 35 percent of its fair share of water, according to the environmental watchdog. The Tigris delivers about 200 cubic meters per second (instead of the required 450), and the Euphrates about 151 cubic meters per second (instead of 350).

In July, Turkey briefly increased river flow to 420 cubic meters per second to help Iraq’s dams, but experts said this was merely a temporary relief measure, not an enduring solution.