Iraq requests increased water releases from Turkiye amid severe drought

13/10/2025 8:03

Iraqi Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab said Sunday that Iraq has formally requested Turkiye to increase water releases into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to alleviate the country's critical water shortages.



The request, made during his visit to Turkiye, specifies an increase of 500 cubic meters per second for both the Tigris River and the Euphrates River for October and November, according to a ministry statement.



Stressing that this year is the most difficult and severe in Iraq's water shortage since 1933, Diab emphasized that the increase is critical for Iraq to improve its water reserves over the next 50 days, citing forecasts of a wet season beginning in December.