ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources on Saturday said it has made important progress on a new water cooperation agreement with Turkey, describing it as a key step to help the country face its worsening drought.

Iraq and Turkey in early November signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) to address Iraq’s worsening water crisis, focusing on desalination projects, water treatment, and the construction of dams to regulate shared water resources.

The MoU with Turkey establishes “a clear water management framework," said Iraqi Water Minister Aoun Dhiab at the time, adding that Ankara will provide Baghdad with “a reasonable and fair share of water.”

Ministry spokesperson Khalid Shamal told The New Region on Saturday that a new implementation mechanism has been signed between the two countries. He said the goal is to move from “theoretical agreements to practical projects” that can strengthen Iraq’s water security during a period of severe water shortages.

Shamal said the plan includes six initial strategic projects. Three of them are small dams designed for water harvesting and improving irrigation in rural areas.

“The other three focus on rehabilitating degraded land and turning it into productive farmland. Funding for these projects will come from revenues generated by Iraqi oil exported to Turkey,” he added. The two sides will also jointly oversee the implementation to ensure transparency and quality.

He noted that the agreement marks a “turning point” in water relations between Iraq and Turkey. The next steps include launching tenders for Iraqi and Turkish companies and involving local communities in the areas where the projects will be carried out.

According to Shamal, the agreement will support long-term water sustainability and help reduce the impact of drought. The ministry will continue issuing regular reports on the progress of the projects.

Both sides also formed a working committee to rehabilitate Iraq’s water infrastructure and prevent future political disputes over water issues.

The agreement comes as Iraq faces sharply declining water levels, which officials partly attribute to Turkey’s expanding dam network. Environmental groups warn that reduced inflows and climate impacts have pushed Iraq’s water reserves to dangerous levels.

The Green Iraq Observatory, an environmental organization, warned in September 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.

The observatory’s report was followed less than a month later by a statement from the Iraqi agricultural ministry, saying that the country’s water reserves have dropped to dangerous levels. The ministry warned that rationing had become essential to protect water security.

Turhan al-Mufti, the Iraqi prime minister's advisor for regional water affairs, said that the recent MoU with Turkey “includes provisions for the sustainability of the water resources of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, representing a new turning point in water relations.”