Iraq is in a fragile state. Increasing water crises, desertification and climate change could magnify and drive greater instability and even violence in the future.
About 98 per cent of Iraq’s surface water comes from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their tributaries. Both rivers have had natural declining flows of water to Iraq and Syria for decades. But the flows have also been slowed down considerably in recent years by the development of dam projects in Turkey.
A large part of the area of Iraq that is on the border with Turkey is Kurdish, and Turkish-Kurdish relations have been fraught with difficulties for an exceptionally long time. Water is part of those tensions. The Kurdish areas plan to dam up more water, and that will cause tensions with the south.
At most, 6 per cent of water flows into Iraq come from rivers in Iran into the Tigris. Flows from the rivers in Iran have also been in decline due to damming and decreased rainfall there.
A weaker Iraq, of course, empowers Iran in its drive for hegemony and malign leverage in the region, particularly in the south of Iraq, where it is already influential. Because of deficits in energy and food, in part due to water stress, Iraq has had to increasingly import both things from Iran.
Water stress in Iraq has also increased unemployment in the countryside. About one quarter of the Iraqi population used to rely on agriculture for employment. As agricultural employment dropped, migration to the cities increased.
Rural-urban migration has increased resource and social stress on many Iraqi cities. As employment in farming and related industries is in decline, for many the temptation to go into illicit industries and criminal enterprises is rising. With enormous levels of youth unemployment, the problem is only made worse.
Ethno-sectarian conflicts, moreover, risk increasing as water becomes scarcer and desertification spreads. As water stresses get worse there could be significant increases in outward migration from Iraq.
Iraq’s bureaucracy is often sectarian and tribal in nature, which makes achieving positive changes more difficult
Increasing water scarcity has destroyed some communities. As one of many examples, the marshlands of the south that have largely dried up. Salt water is moving up the Shatt al Arab River and into the water table relied on for farming and drinking water. Depopulation has started as a result.
The once mighty river systems are no longer mighty. And that massive change affects the entire country’s livelihood, culture and security. The effects of water crises, desertification and climate change are shredding communities.
Climate change is clearly at work. Increased dust storms, lower and less predictable rains, and increasing temperatures made life exceedingly difficult for many. Evaporation of water in reservoirs, rivers, and on farms has increased.
Some of the problems stem from international issues, such as shared water coming into Iraq that other states seem increasingly less willing to share. The government in Baghdad no doubt understands that this is a major part of the country’s water problems, and popular anger towards the country’s neighbours is growing.
How does Iraq ask a water-scarce Iran and Syria for more water? How does it ask Turkey for more water when Turkey has banked the pacification and development of its restive south-east on massive irrigation and dam projects that reduce water flows to Iraq?
There are no effective solid, long-term agreements on water sharing with any of Iraq’s neighbours, even though there have been many attempts at this since the 1920s.
Turkey sees the Tigris and Euphrates as transboundary water originating from the same water basin in its country. Syria and Iraq see the Tigris and Euphrates as shared water systems. Iran sees the water in its tributaries flowing into Iraq as its own.
Among the most pernicious problems, however, is corruption. Iraq’s bureaucracy is often sectarian and even tribal in nature, which makes achieving positive changes on resource issues more difficult.
Better integrated water management could be a solution. However, that integrated system will have to take into consideration national as well as local and tribal issues.
The oil industry uses immense amounts of water, but Iraq is one of the most oil-dependent countries on the planet for its export revenues, government budget and GDP.
Another potential solution would be to look at water efficiency. This may include a move away from water-intensive crops such as wheat and rice. But there is also huge water waste from the way these crops are irrigated. Eighty-five per cent of the water use in Iraq is in agriculture to grow water-inefficient crops using water-inefficient irrigation systems.
There is also waste from ill-maintained municipal water infrastructure. But these amounts are nowhere near the waste in agriculture.
The problem extends into the quality of what little water is available. Diarrhoea, cholera and water-borne sicknesses occur all too often. Water quality and quantity are hygiene and health issues in many parts of the country. Those most affected by these are women and girls, the very young and the old. These groups must often walk long distances in some places to get water.
Better education and training on water issues are vital at all levels of Iraqi society. And better governance of water is required. More efficient and productive ways of using water, meanwhile, are essential, along with more productive ways of solving water disputes. The country is already in dire straits when it comes to its water supply. If nothing changes quickly, it will face an even grimmer and more forbidding water future.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
RACE CARD
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB); Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA); Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA); Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA); Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T); 1,400m
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
