Iraq desertification approaching 70%

Desertification in Iraq has now reached almost 70 per cent, according to a report published yesterday by Iraqi News. The report, citing an earlier one by Rudaw Arabic, said that Haider Fleih, an official in the Environment Directorate in Najaf governorate, attributed the rising rate of desertification to poor water flow from neighbouring Iran and Turkiye.

The head of the Climate Change Department in the directorate also explained that desertification in the southern governorate has increased five per cent compared to last year due to lack of water and its impact on agricultural lands, which in turn has forced many farmers to leave their lands.

Fleih said that the percentage of desertification in Najaf is now at 35 per cent while “the percentage of desertification in Iraq in general reached 69.7 percent.”

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He also recommended farmers “use modern methods of irrigating agricultural lands, instead of the old irrigation methods used since the Sumerian era, especially in the cultivation of the rice crop.”

In March, Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani announced the launch of an afforestation initiative to combat desertification and dust storms as the country grapples with the effects of water shortages and climate change, leading to heat waves and frequent droughts.

The initiative was unveiled during a two-day Iraq Climate Conference, held in Basra in the presence of ambassadors and officials from the UN. It aims to plant five million trees across the country and has been endorsed by several national and international organisations, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

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