Rainwater drives 8M cubic meters to Iraq’s Euphrates

2026-03-21 - 17:21

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar Heavy rainfall over the past two days has pushed more than 8 million cubic meters of water into the Euphrates, the Upper Euphrates Center for Sustainable Research reported on Saturday, noting an episode of unstable weather across Iraq. Based at the University of Al-Anbar, the Center attributed the increase to the recent wave of rain that swept the province. Forecasts indicate that the unsettled, spring-like pattern is expected to affect several Iraqi cities for at least a week. With instability likely to continue, the Center urged relevant agencies to strengthen rainwater drainage, especially in areas with limited infrastructure. Iraq continues to face a severe water crisis, with numerous tributaries and large sections of the southern marshes dried up. Environmental projections by international climate institutions suggest the country could see a 10–20% drop in annual rainfall by 2050, alongside a 2–3 degrees Celsius rise in temperature. Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues