Warning against desertification of Iraq

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Karbala’s governor warned of changing Iraqi lands into desert areas and the increase in sand tornadoes due to the lack of water coming from neighboring countries, calling to review all relations with them in order to release Iraq‘s water share. Governor Amal Al-Deen Al0-Hir pointed to a number of media organs, including IraqiNews.com that “Iraq suffers for the past years of lesser water quantities in its rivers and marsh area, which resulted in a new phenomena of continued sand tornadoes, following the Turkish and Iranian cut-off of waters. “Even Kurdistan has been affected with these tornadoes, which moved to Turkey and Iran themselves,” he pointed out.  He did not blame the central government for putting an end for this phenomenon, but blamed the neighboring countries for cutting Iraqi water shares that led to turning the lands into deserts. Hir pointed out that “we had a basin with 2000 square kilometers, but turned dry following Turkish cutting off water, that turned the area into a desert that extended to the Saudi borders and was open to sand tornadoes.” He added that Iran, also, cut off 40 rivers which general pour in the marsh areas that turned it into a dry lands. Hir warned “if this situation continues, no palm tree will remain in Basra province. It used to rank first on the international level, then turned now to the fourth.” Karbala lies 108 km south of the capital, Baghdad. RM (TS)/SR 488