Iraq will suspend all crop cultivation starting in September due to an escalating water crisis, according to the country’s Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Diab Abdullah.
The minister described 2025 as one of the most challenging years in Iraq’s history in terms of water scarcity, citing a sharp and ongoing decline in water inflows from neighboring countries.
Speaking to the state-run Al-Sabah newspaper, Abdullah stated that Iraq's agricultural sector will be halted entirely next month because of insufficient water availability.
However, he noted that climate forecasts indicate a potential shift, with expected rainfall in October and a drop in temperatures during September, which could help reduce evaporation rates.
Water reserves in Iraq's main dams and reservoirs, including Mosul, Darbandikhan, Dokan, Tharthar, Haditha, and Hamrin, have dropped below 8 billion cubic meters, a critically low figure given the country's agricultural and domestic needs.
The minister highlighted that Turkey’s water management policies have played a major role in this decline.
The flow of the Euphrates River into Iraq has been reduced by more than half compared to historical averages, due to upstream dam operations and water retention in Turkey. He also noted that new Turkish dams on the tributaries of the Tigris and Euphrates are further restricting Iraq’s share of cross-border water.
Currently, water releases from Turkey to the Syrian border measure approximately 350 cubic meters per second. However, by the time the flow reaches Iraq's Haditha Dam, it falls below 200 cubic meters per second. As for the Tigris River, Turkish releases currently stand at around 200 cubic meters per second.
The suspension of agriculture in September will result in the cancellation of wheat cultivation for the upcoming season. This follows two consecutive years in which Iraq had achieved self-sufficiency, producing over five million tons of wheat annually.
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