ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Water released from Syria into Iraq through the Euphrates River has quadrupled during the same period last year, Iraq’s water resources ministry said Sunday.

Ministry spokesperson Khalid Shamal told the state newspaper that the increase was the result of recent understandings between Iraq and neighboring countries on water releases.

"The quantities released from Syria to Iraq through the Euphrates basin have recently increased fourfold, reaching 680 compared to 151 cubic meters per second during the same period last year,” Shamal said.

Iraq has historically struggled with water shortages, with authorities frequently blaming upstream countries for reduced flows into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Earlier this month, Water Resources Minister Muthanna al-Tamimi said Iraq had reached understandings with Turkey and Syria to increase water releases amid a prolonged water crisis.

Shamal said water flows into Iraq through Syria depend on climate and weather conditions, water management procedures in Turkey, and water management and service procedures in Syria.

He also said understandings with Turkey and Syria stipulate that “the volume of water passing through the Turkish-Syrian border must not fall below” 500 cubic meters per second, with 58 percent allocated to Iraq and 42 percent to Syria.

The Euphrates River saw increased water flow from upstream Turkey earlier in June, caused by a period of heavy rainfall, prompting a devastating rise in river levels in Syria, where floodwaters submerged farms, homes, and IDP camps across Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces.

Torhan al-Mufti, an advisor to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, said Monday that Turkey is set to release water into Iraq based on a formula agreed by the two countries, saying “Iraq will receive a guaranteed but not fixed water share” under the formula.

Turkey has been particularly blamed for water shortages in Iraq, with around 90 percent of Iraq’s water sources originating from the neighboring country. Earlier this year, the Environment Ministry called for international pressure on Ankara to increase water flows.

Iraq and Turkey signed an agreement in November to address Iraq’s worsening water crisis, which had been exacerbated by upstream dams constructed by Ankara along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

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.