Impact of Euphrates River level decline on agriculture in Fallujah district

Water scarcity in Iraq, particularly in the agricultural sector, has emerged as a pressing concern. This study examines the impact of declining Euphrates River flow on agricultural productivity in a region where the river traverses approximately 103 km, starting from the north of Al-Saqlawiyah (in the Sen al-Dhaban region) to the outskirts of the district. The highest annual discharge rate of the Euphrates River was recorded in 2005-2006 at 680 m³/s, while the lowest discharge was recorded during 2010-2020, at 290 m³/s. This decline has negatively impacted the water levels of its tributary streams due to several factors, including climate change, global warming, political tensions with Turkey and Turkey's non-compliance with international laws and treaties signed with Iraq. These factors have had a direct impact on agricultural productivity in terms of cultivated areas and production volumes during the period (2010-2020). This period witnessed a negative change in cultivated areas, which decreased to 25818 dunums, with cereal crops being the most affected. The area cultivated with cereals decreased by 39597 dunums, with a corresponding drop in production by 2449 tons. Industrial crops were next, experiencing a reduction in cultivated area by 982 dunums and a decline in production by 275 tons. Finally, horticultural crops saw a production decrease of 103 tons.