Water crisis puts 12 million at risk in Syria, Iraq, aid groups say
Higher temperatures, drought and record low rainfall levels are depriving millions of people of drinking and agricultural water.
A water crisis in Syria and Iraq has put more than 12 million people at risk of losing access to food, water and electricity, a group of aid organizations said on Monday, warning the shortages could lead to further displacement in the already unstable region.
A new report published by 13 international aid groups, said that higher temperatures and drought are depriving people of drinking and agricultural water, as well as disrupting electricity as dams run out of water in Syria and Iraq. Climate change has increased the risk and severity of droughts in both countries, the report said, adding that roughly 400 square kilometers of agricultural land risks total drought.
“The total collapse of water and food production for millions of Syrians and Iraqis is imminent,” said Carsten Hansen, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s regional director.
“With hundreds of thousands of Iraqis still displaced and many more still fleeing for their lives in Syria, the unfolding water crisis will soon become an unprecedented catastrophe pushing more into displacement," Hansen said.
