Iraqi President calls on UN to ensure fair distribution of water
The Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid. Photo: Kurdistan 24
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi President, Abdul Latif Rashid, during his speech on Wednesday in the UN 2023 Water Conference held in New York, confirmed that Iraq is implementing a strict water management plan, indicating that the worsening drought threatens the country’s economy, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
Rashid stressed the need to work with neighboring countries through agreements and commitments to ensure a fair share of water.
“Climate-related factors such as drought, dust storms and high temperatures that have occurred in recent years are beyond our control, and the necessary precautions must be taken to reduce the negative effects,” the Iraqi President said.
Rashid explained that these measures include establishing the necessary infrastructure to collect and preserve the largest amount of rain, and arranging with neighboring countries to ensure fair shares of water for everyone, especially during cropping seasons.
The Iraqi President mentioned that Iraq is working to reduce wastewater, improve infrastructure, introduce modern irrigation systems, modernize the agricultural sector, and pay serious attention to establishing an appropriate legal framework related to water management.
Rashid called on the United Nations to take serious measures to reduce the effects of climate change, and to urge countries to cooperate to ensure fair distribution of water.
The Iraqi President is accompanied by a delegation of environmental experts and other officials, Kurdistan 24 reported.
Iraq’s water resources significantly decreased in recent years. Its reserves declined from 60 billion cubic meters to 7.5 billion cubic meters, the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources mentioned.
The UN 2023 Water Conference is co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands and is held in the UN Headquarters in New York from March 22 to March 24.