Drought imperils Iraq water buffalo and a child's way of life

Petting a water buffalo before tying a fodder bag around its neck, Mustafa Ahmed tends his father’s herd in Iraq’s southern province of Najaf, where his family have raised animals for generations but lack of water now threatens their livelihood, Reuters reports.

Iraq forms part of the “Fertile Crescent”, land sweeping from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf which has been farmed for thousands of years. But the landscape has been devastated by upstream damming of Iraq’s two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, lower rainfall trends and decades of conflict.

Ahmed’s father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage in their home, Al-Mishkhab district, is forcing him to sell their animals one by one – heartbreaking for his son.

They recently lost a two-month-old calf. “It hurts that one of them died … I really love them,” the 13-year-old said. “Now we have nine left.”

Last year they had 20.

Reuters spoke to six families of herders in Najaf province who all said they have had to sell animals or have had livestock die over the last months.

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In the nearby district of Umm Khashm, the number of water buffalo decreased from 15,000 to 9,000 over five years, said local Mayor, Meshtaq Sebar.

Khaled Shemal, a spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources, said Najaf province only received around 40 per cent of its traditional share of water this year.

The situation is even worse in Iraq’s southern marshes which were already in a fragile state and are now experiencing the most severe heat wave of the last 40 years. Almost 70 per cent of the marshes are devoid of water, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Shemal said water flows on the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers have decreased by about 70 per cent this year, compared to previous decades.

Officials and experts cite upstream damming in Turkiye and Iran, climate change, outdated domestic irrigation techniques and a lack of long-term management plans as the root causes of a water crisis that is driving thousands out of the countryside.

In Al-Mishkhab, the landscape has become barren and Abdul Hussein’s animals must brave the dust blowing from abandoned farmland with scant water to keep cool.

“This water is stale” said Abdul Hussein, pointing at his animals standing in stagnant water. “They are suffering from thirst.”

Poor water quality affects the animals’ health and weakens their immune system.

Nadhir Al-Ansari, Professor at Sweden’s Lulea University of Technology, said the water quality in Najaf is amongst the poorest in Iraq. Untreated waste water and chemical fertilisers dumped into the river upstream make the water increasingly unfit for consumption as it flows down south, he said.

As water levels drop, the salinity of the water increases beyond a point recommended for human consumption, he added.

Farming ravaged

In addition to the lack of water, a drastic decline in crop production and a rise in the price of fodder have left farmers struggling to feed water buffalo.

According to the FAO, across Iraq only about half of the land cultivated in 2020 is now being tended. In Najaf province, the situation is even more extreme – only 5 per cent of 2020’s growing area is being used, after rice planting was almost completely halted due to lack of water.

Herders, like Abdul Hussein, used to farm patches of land themselves, or source cheap fodder from rice farmers.

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“When the buffalo doesn’t eat … it does not produce milk,” said Abdul Hussein, adding his income had shrivelled without his main source of earnings, and he struggles to afford the now much more expensive, often imported, fodder.

“A few more months and it might all be over,” he said, as the sun set over Al-Mishkhab. The only alternative is to move to the outskirts of Najaf, where the rest of his family are, to have access to drinking water, he said.

The International Organisation for Migration (IMO) says that, as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services.

Iraq needs adaption strategies, said Ally-Raza Qureshi, the UN World Food Programme’s local representative. So far, Baghdad has used oil revenues to avoid a hunger crisis but “these safety nets do not cover for livelihood loss,” he added.

Seated in a sparsely furnished living room, Abdul Hussein said he took his sons out of school years ago, to help him with the herd. “I regret this more than anything,” he added.

About 7 per cent of minors aged 5–17 years are engaged in child labour in Iraq, according to UNICEF.

Ahmed said he wanted to go back to school after seeing his animals disappear one by one. As he does not know how to read or write, his father fears his future prospects are slim.

“The fate of our lifestyle is unknown. We don’t know what lies ahead,” said Abdul Hussein.

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