Iraq fears bevy of levees will mean parched years ahead
Although the water level is high this year in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Turkey's imminent filling of the Ilisu Dam reservoir is raising concerns about Iraq's water flow next year and for years to come.
BAGHDAD — Although water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have been rising as torrential rains fill some of the largest dams in Iraq, the threat of drought persists.
Turkey is now taking the necessary steps to fill its controversial Ilisu Dam, while Iran continues to cut off tributaries of the rivers flowing into Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a March 7 rally that the country will begin filling the reservoir of the dam on the Tigris River in June, despite warnings from the Iraqi government that the process will dry out large areas of the country.
