Climate change was one of the causes of Iraq’s water crisis, affecting the quality and taste of the water. As a result of the decline and scarcity of water, salinity increased in rivers. Drought waves, desertification, and a lack of rain, as well as old water and storage infrastructure, all made the water situation even more bad.
Iraq is in the midst of a severe water crisis, with desertification affecting 39 percent of the country’s land area, contributing to the loss of green spaces and posing a threat to food security. According to reports, more than 7 million Iraqis lack access to drinking water sufficient to meet their needs. It warned of a worsening humanitarian environmental crisis in Iraq, while the Iraqi Ministry of Environment verified that Iraq is the world’s fifth most affected country by climate change, raising widespread fears of disastrous consequences for the country’s food and water security.
In collaboration with the National Societies, the Iraqi Red Crescent worked to alleviate the situation by constructing desalination and purifying plants in various parts of the country. The number of desalination plants that have been completed has risen to 75, and more are being built all over the country. The number of people who get water each day has reached more than 150,000, with a total of more than two million people getting water.
Refurbishment and upkeep of decaying historic stations. The number of stations installed in the Red Crescent’s last statistics totaled (69), with (8) in Baghdad, (3) in Diyalah, (8) in Nineveh, (6) in Babil, (4) in Dhi Qar, (3) in Wasit, (3) in Muthanna, (2) in Diwaniyah, (4) in Anbar, (3) in Salah al-Din, and (15) stations in Basrah.
In addition, two water purification plants in the Rabat region and two heavy water stations in the Basrah Governorate’s General Hospital have been renovated. The Iraqi Red Crescent began digging 5 wells in the country’s centre and north, with over 550 families benefiting from water wells in Mosul and over 700 individuals benefiting from wells in Diyalah.