Iraq's water reserves lowest in 80 years: official

Baghdad: Iraq s water reserves are at their lowest in 80 years after a dry rainy season, a government official said Sunday, as its share from the Tigr...

Baghdad: Iraq's water reserves are at their lowest in 80 years after a dry rainy season, a government official said Sunday, as its share from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers shrinks.

Water is a major issue in the country of 46 million people undergoing a serious environmental crisis because of climate change, drought, rising temperatures and declining rainfall.

Authorities also blame upstream dams built in neighbouring Iran and Turkey for dramatically lowering the flow of the once-mighty Tigris and Euphrates, which have irrigated Iraq for millennia.

"The summer season should begin with at least 18 billion cubic meters... yet we only have about 10 billion cubic meters," water resources ministry spokesperson Khaled Shamal told AFP.

"Last year our strategic reserves were better. It was double what we have now," Shamal said.