ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – People in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region took to social media to express their fear and anger toward the sudden drying up of rivers in the country, warning of the grave consequences of Turkey and Iran’s disastrous decisions.
Water flowing from Turkey and Iran to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq has reached alarmingly low levels in recent days, with Kurdish and Iraqi officials rushing to put forward efforts to avoid an impending water crisis.
According to the Iraqi official, some seven million people in the country are expected to be directly affected by the water shortage.
In 2006, Turkey began constructing the Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River near its namesake village.
It is one of 22 dams, part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project.
On Saturday, Turkey announced the completion of the dam’s last phase.
Ilisu dam is expected to produce 1,200 megawatts of power and form a 10.4 billion cubic meter reservoir for Turkey.
That same day, Kurdish officials noted that neighboring Iran had restricted water flow to the cross-border Little Zab River, triggering a severe water shortage in the surrounding Kurdish towns.
Iraqis and Kurds alike rushed to Twitter to ask the UN to intervene and help prevent a water shortage.
Others have ironically referenced the role the UN previously played in addressing humanitarian crises in Iraq, replacing the Oil-for-Food Program with ‘Oil-for-Water.’ Other users stressed the disastrous impact the water crisis will have on agricultural lands, farming, and access to drinking water.