ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s environment ministry has called for international pressure on Turkey to increase water releases as the country struggles with drought, partly due to Ankara’s upstream damming.

“Iraq needs to obtain a fair agreement with Turkey and the upstream countries, one that is just in sharing the water,” ministry spokesperson Luay al-Mukhtar told state media on Thursday, stressing “the need to put international pressure on Turkey through negotiation and international frameworks that allow for this path.”

The Green Iraq Observatory 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 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.

Iraqi authorities routinely blame upstream Turkey for withholding water releases, with around 90 percent of Iraq’s water sources originating from Turkey.

“The claims of countries that have water resources are that they are also suffering from climate change, as they assert that their water quantities have decreased and that they need this water because of climate change,” Mukhtar said.

In early November, Ankara and Baghdad signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at easing Iraq’s water crisis by focusing on desalination projects, water treatment, and the construction of dams to manage cross-border flows.

However, Iraq still faces stark water challenges despite the accord, seeking further assistance from its northern neighbor.

The spokesperson also called for closed irrigation systems to prevent water from seeping into soil and evaporating, especially with Iraq’s high temperatures in the summer months.

“Closed irrigation systems exist in many neighboring countries, including Turkey,” he said, adding, “The closed system protects water from seeping into the soil and reduces evaporation.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in 2024 that climate change has displaced more than 170,000 people in 12 provinces due to drought, falling water levels, and expanding desertification.

The United Nations has ranked Iraq among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, while authorities have warned that water reserves have fallen to dangerous levels, making conservation and careful management essential.