VZCZCXRO4360
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #2469/01 2561322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131322Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4690
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002469 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR NEA/I, OES/STAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SENV ENRG PBTS PREL TPHY TRGY TSPL EAGR EAID
 
SUBJECT:  Iraq Depends on Others for Water; Low River Flows Have 
Negative Impact 
 
¶1.  (U) Note:  Post intends this message to be the first periodic 
report on water issues - and their growing prominence - in Iraq. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Tigris and Euphrates river systems supply 
almost all of Iraq's water needs.  Ninety percent of the two rivers' 
water flows first through Turkey, Syria, or Iran - with a separate 
ten percent rising first in the Kurdistan region.  (Iraq also has 
some ground water from underground aquifers.)   The Euphrates River 
water flows in Iraq have fallen and water quality has deteriorated 
since the construction of Turkish and Syrian dams upstream from the 
1970's to the 1990's.  Today, the Euphrates River inflow from Syria 
is at its lowest level in six years.  The Tigris River flow from 
Turkey may still be within historical norms but shows great seasonal 
variation, and has dropped by half since early July.  The low flow 
levels have led to reduced Iraqi hydroelectric power generation and 
reportedly exacerbated salinity and pollutant concentrations in the 
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.  Improvement in water management and 
use would mitigate these negative impacts, but would require a 
functioning Iraqi regulatory system that may be years away.  To meet 
its immediate needs, Iraq is pressing Turkey to increase flow to the 
Euphrates River.  End summary 
 
IRAQ DEPENDENT ON OTHERS FOR WATER 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Iraq is a downstream riparian state dependent on other 
countries for its water supply.  Ninety percent of Iraq's water is 
contained in the Euphrates and Tigris river systems, which are fed 
from Turkey, Syria, and Iran.  Turkey is the single largest 
contributor, providing on average 90 percent of the Euphrates flow 
and 50 percent of the Tigris flow.  Syria separately contributes 
about eight percent of the Euphrates flow, and Iran contributes an 
estimated 30 to 40 percent of the Tigris flow.  Some ten percent of 
Iraq's waters rise from the Kurdistan region of Iraq. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Over the last forty years, Turkey and Syria have built or 
are in the process of building several large dams on the Euphrates 
River that have affected water flow into Iraq.  Before the 
development of the dams, the Euphrates River's average flow rate 
into Iraq exceeded 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year or 1000 
cubic meters per second (cms).    Today, the flow is much less. 
According to recent data provided by the Iraqi Ministry of Water 
Resources (MoWR), the average Euphrates flow rate into Iraq was 290 
cms during July and August of 2009.  This average flow rate is a 36 
percent reduction from the same time last year, and is the lowest 
flow rate at this time of year in the last six years. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Dams have also been built or are in the process of being 
built by Turkey on the Tigris River. According to the UN Food and 
Agricultural Organization, the average annual Tigris River water 
inflow to Iraq is 21.33 bcm.  Because the river is fed mainly by 
snow pack, the average flow shows large monthly variations.  (For 
example, September averages are about 123 cms while April averages 
are almost 1400 cms.)  A spot analysis of MoWR daily flow data, as 
measured entering Mosul Dam, shows that the Tigris River's daily 
flow average in August 2009 was 139 cms, about the same as Tigris 
River inflows in August 2008 and in line with averages expected for 
this time of year.  (Comment:  A full analysis of yearly flow data 
must be performed to determine whether Tigris River flows have been 
significantly affected by upstream development in Turkey.  End 
comment) 
Qcomment) 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Iran contributes up to 40 percent of the water flows to the 
Tigris River at several locations - via the Lesser Zab River 
southeast of Mosul, the Diyala River east of Baghdad, the Karkha 
River east of Ammara, and the Karun River, which joins Shatt Al Arab 
just south of Basra.  According to MoWR data, the flows entering 
Iraq from Iran, as measured at the Dokan and Derbendi-Kahn 
(Darbandikhan) dams located in Northern Iraq, has more than doubled 
from this time last year.  However, recent reports indicate that 
Iran has built sand dams in other locations to divert river flow 
away from Iraq, especially in the south.  Some Iraqi lawmakers have 
called on Iran to reopen these waterways.  This issue will be 
addressed in a future cable. 
 
EUPHRATES LOW LEVELS HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Euphrates' decreased flow rate - along with diversion 
water from Lake TharThar (located southwest of Mosul) and irrigation 
return flows - has increased the salt content in the river. 
According to Dawood Salman of the Iraqi Ministry of Science and 
Technology, salinity concentrations at Basra were approaching 2.0 
parts per thousand (ppt).  (Note:  The generally accepted drinking 
water limit for salinity is less than 1 ppt and the 
agricultural/irrigation limit is 2 ppt.  End note).  Decreased river 
flow rates has meant less water to dilute salts entering the 
 
BAGHDAD 00002469  002 OF 002 
 
 
Euphrates through rainfall runoff, saline ground water discharges, 
and from using Lake TharThar as a backup water source.  (Comment: 
Lake TharThar is a shallow depression used to divert water from the 
Tigris River during winter high river flows.  Evaporation results in 
a high accumulation of salts.  When water is needed, the lake's 
highly saline water (1.7 ppt) is released into either the Euphrates 
or the Tigris River.  End comment.)  Separately, irrigation return 
flows also carry soil salts from the fields to the river adding to 
the total salt content. 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Upstream development and increased agricultural runoff in 
Turkey and Syria also appear to cause increased river pollution from 
fertilizers, pesticides, and salts.  In addition, Iraqi raw sewage 
and industrial discharges are routinely fed into the Euphrates and 
Tigris Rivers both in cities and rural areas. In Baghdad alone, the 
inoperable Karkh Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges over 100 
million gallons per day of raw sewage into the Tigris River. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The low level of the Euphrates River is reportedly having 
negative effects downstream.  In one example, the Haditha 
hydroelectric dam, near the Iraq-Syria border, is operating at only 
13 percent of capacity.  The dam will reportedly suspend operations 
if water levels drop another five feet - which could occur in two 
weeks if water levels continue to fall at the rate of six inches a 
day.  According to ePRT - Al Qaim, intake lines for the local water 
treatment plant now sit above the river channel.  Nasiriyah's 
governor, Qusey al-Ebadi, has publicly stated that, as a result of 
low water levels, "The people... have started to dig wells for their 
own survival.  There is no water to use for washing, because it is 
stagnant and contaminated. Many of the animals have contracted 
disease and died and people with animals are leaving their areas." 
Basra Province's Agricultural Director said he is prepared to 
announce a water catastrophe because the saltiness of the Shatt 
Al-Arab (which the Euphrates River feeds into) had reached a level 
making planting crops and rearing animals impossible.  He also 
stated that residents were leaving the area in search of other areas 
to settle. 
 
INEFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT AND USE 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) Iraq uses 75 percent of its water for highly inefficient 
flood irrigation, according to the Iraq Transition Assistance Office 
(ITAO).  Flood irrigation is a common, but antiquated, practice in 
developing countries that wastes large amounts of water and leads to 
soil salination.  (Comment:  Several USG agencies and international 
donors are promoting more efficient irrigation methods, such as drip 
and spray irrigation, to Iraqi agriculturalists.  End comment)  The 
thousands of miles of canals that make up the Iraqi crop irrigation 
system leak; are improperly sized; waste a large amount of water; 
feed secondary and tertiary canals choked with weeds and silt; are 
used to irrigate low-value, non-sustainable crops like rice and 
wheat; and supply water to a dwindling farming community that has 
little incentive to keep the canals operational.  As a result, Iraq 
has a higher per capita water usage rate (2020 cubic meters per year 
(cmy) than Turkey (1430 cmy) or Syria (1200 cmy). The GOI could 
improve water management and use by removing water subsidies, 
encouraging more efficient irrigation methods (such as drip or spray 
irrigation), increasing water storage by building dams along the 
Tigris River and Euphrates Rivers, and permanently repairing the 
QTigris River and Euphrates Rivers, and permanently repairing the 
Mosul Dam foundation to allow the dam to operate at a higher water 
level.  To its credit, the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resource has a 
long-term plan to increase water storage capacity in Iraq and to 
repair the Mosul Dam.  The plan calls for the construction of 11 
large dams and 29 small dams on the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers over 
a seven year period. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶11. (SBU)  While the region's three-year drought is often cited as 
the cause of Iraq's water woes, it may only be a contributing 
factor.  The construction of dams by Turkey and Syria on the upper 
Euphrates River has enabled those two countries to divert large 
quantities of water, at least half of the annual Euphrates River 
flow by some estimates, to agricultural and other domestic uses. 
Our interlocutors on water issues most often blame Turkey - and not 
Syria - for Iraq's water shortages.  Iran's role in water issues is 
not yet clear, and may contribute to Iraq's water deficiencies, 
especially in southern Iraq.  Iraq's poor management of water 
resources will improve in the coming years only if the government 
identifies priorities and puts effective regulatory structures in 
place. Until such steps ease Iraq's water problems, the GOI will 
likely look to Turkey to release more water from its upstream dams. 
 
FORD