Shafaq News
At dawn in Basra, families crowd around
tanker trucks with jerrycans and plastic containers, desperate to secure a few
liters of drinkable water. Just meters away, the Shatt al-Arab River flows—once
the city’s lifeline, now a saline and polluted stream unfit for human use.
Environmental experts warn that Iraq is
facing its most severe water crisis in modern history. Nowhere is this more
evident than in Basra, where seawater intrusion, shrinking river inflows, and
unchecked pollution have converged into a slow-moving disaster that threatens
human health, livelihoods, and the fragile ecosystems of southern Iraq.
Salinity Overtakes the Shatt al-Arab
The Shatt al-Arab, formed by the confluence
of the Tigris and Euphrates before emptying into the Gulf, has long sustained
Basra. But reduced inflows from upstream dams and rising temperatures have left
the river vulnerable to seawater intrusion.
Data obtained by Shafaq News shows salinity
levels between 25,000 and 40,000 TDS (total dissolved solids) across 120
kilometers of the river—levels comparable to seawater. The World Health
Organization sets 500 TDS as the maximum safe level for drinking water. Even
the remaining 80 kilometers of the river are brackish, unfit for agriculture or
household use.
With a population of five million, Basra
requires more than one million cubic meters of potable water daily. Reverse
osmosis (RO) plants, the city’s only defense, are strained beyond capacity.
Meanwhile, demand continues to climb: the oil industry alone requires 14 cubic
meters per second, agriculture 30, and other sectors, including electricity and
construction, at least 10.
Iraq has recently awarded contracts for
mega-desalination plants, and soil surveys are underway. But experts caution
that such projects, while necessary, may take years to complete.
Toxic Pollution Compounds the Crisis
Salinity is only part of the story. The
Shatt al-Arab and its tributaries are increasingly contaminated by industrial
effluent, oil-sector waste, pesticides, fertilizers, and untreated sewage.
Water samples reviewed by Shafaq News
reveal the presence of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and
chromium. Public health officials warn that exposure to these elements can
cause cancers, neurological damage, and organ failure. Adding to the danger,
household waste and agricultural runoff have seeded outbreaks of E. coli,
cholera, and other bacterial infections.
A senior environmental officer in Basra,
who requested anonymity, described the situation starkly: “Every day, thousands
of cubic meters of untreated sewage and waste enter the Shatt al-Arab. Solid
waste piles along the banks leach toxins into the river. What we are seeing is
systemic poisoning, not just salinity.”
The contamination is devastating
agriculture and livestock. Southern Iraq’s wetlands, once home to buffalo herds
and diverse plant life, are withering under the dual assault of salt and
toxins. Farmers across the south are abandoning their lands, accelerating rural
migration into already-strained urban centers.
Read more: Iraq’s water dilema: Basra looks to Istanbul for answers
South Under Strain
The crisis extends beyond Basra.
Neighboring provinces—Dhi Qar, Maysan, and Al-Muthanna—are also facing steep
declines in water storage. Local officials report alarming levels of crop
failure and livestock deaths, warning of cascading economic and health impacts.
Environmental expert Shukri al-Hassan told
Shafaq News: “The south is losing its capacity to sustain life. This is not a
seasonal drought. It is structural and long-term. Without regional water
agreements and strict pollution controls, millions risk displacement.”
The risk extends to Iraq’s internationally
protected marshlands. Once a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrated for
biodiversity, the marshes are drying, their ecosystems collapsing under stress.
Governance Failures and Delayed Responses
Successive Iraqi governments have pledged
solutions—from emergency water allocations to marshland restoration projects
and multi-billion-dollar desalination plants. Yet progress has been slow,
hindered by corruption, poor planning, and political disputes.
Local officials in Basra accuse Baghdad of
neglect. Emergency water releases from upstream are inconsistent and often
insufficient. Critics argue that the central government prioritizes short-term
fixes over long-term sustainability.
Civil society activists point to unchecked
oil development as another driver of collapse. Oil fields in southern Iraq
consume massive amounts of water while discharging untreated waste back into
rivers. “Iraq’s oil wealth is poisoning its water,” one activist told Shafaq
News.
International organizations have also
raised concerns that water scarcity could fuel displacement. As farmers abandon
their lands and marsh dwellers lose livelihoods, migration toward Basra city
and other urban centers is accelerating. Such pressures risk overwhelming
infrastructure, fueling poverty, and deepening political grievances.
A Vanishing Lifeline
The Shatt al-Arab once symbolized southern
Iraq’s abundance—its date palms, fertile soil, and water buffalo sustaining
generations. Today, it is a river in retreat, turned brackish by seawater and
poisoned by waste.
“The danger is existential,” said
al-Hassan. “If the river dies, Basra dies. And if Basra dies, Iraq’s stability
unravels.”
Read more: Silent skies over Iraq’s Diyala as climate change drives migratory birds away
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
