Baghdad - Al-Forat
Iraq and Turkey have agreed to form a permanent technical committee to monitor water releases into the Tigris and the Euphrates, at the end of two days of talks in Baghdad between high-level delegations, with the Iraqi side led by the Minister of Water Resources.
A statement from the Ministry of Water Resources said the committee would include experts from both countries and meet every two months, alternating between Baghdad and Ankara. It will exchange real-time data on dam levels and flow rates and draw up release schedules that take into account the needs of farming seasons and drinking water.
Worrying figures on the table
During the talks, the Iraqi side presented maps and data showing water reserves in dams and lakes at their lowest level in decades, as well as studies based on satellite imagery that reveal continuous depletion of groundwater in the two rivers’ basin over the past two decades.
The statement said the Iraqi delegation called for guaranteed releases of at least 500 cubic metres per second in the coming months to secure the winter agricultural plan, which includes wheat and barley, and to maintain the minimum water needed for the Marshes and for drinking-water treatment plants in the southern provinces.
“For us, water is a matter of life. What we are asking for is not a favour but a right guaranteed by international norms for riparian states”Minister of Water Resources
The Turkish delegation, according to the statement, expressed understanding of Iraq’s water situation and affirmed its country’s readiness to increase releases according to hydrological conditions, and to cooperate on projects to modernise irrigation methods and reduce waste in agricultural use inside Iraq.
After the agreement
Water experts see the permanent committee as a positive step that moves the issue from seasonal meetings to institutional work, but stress that a sustainable solution requires a binding water-sharing agreement, along with domestic reforms including lining canals, extending drip irrigation and tackling violations of water quotas.
The committee is due to hold its first meeting in Ankara next month to agree its working procedures and the release schedule for the winter season, while the Ministry of Water Resources continues its campaigns to remove encroachments on rivers.
