THE ROLE OF WATER SITUATION IN IRAQ IN EXACERBATING THE PROBLEM OF FOOD SECURITY IN IRAQ

Abstract

Water is of great importance in human life, as no human society can live without it since the first human communities were established on the banks of rivers. The research problem is the limited water supply in Iraq compared to the growing demand due to improved living standards and rising populations, fluctuating from year to year and high levels of pollution and problems with upstream countries Turkey, Syria, and Iran. This article examines the real economic consequences of demand-driven water scarcity in Iraq’s ‘midstream' socioeconomic growth route, taking into account trade-offs between macroeconomic effects and food security. The study employs an advanced degree of detail in its exploratory analytical water usage model in economic activities, allowing for internal adaptation of a specific sector to water shortage. The results indicate the absence of a valid international agreement regulating the water quotas of the rivers shared between Iraq, Turkey, and Syria to control shared water. As a result, the country's water losses are high, with up to 70 percent of agricultural losses and up to 40 percent in domestic use. Moreover, the continuing problems between Iraq and the upstream countries are likely to increase due to the growing demand for water,  which is not limited to river water but may include the management of shared groundwater in the future.