Water Resources in South of Iraq: Current State, Future Evolutions, Challenges, and Potential Solutions
Southern Iraq or lower Mesopotamia has a crucial role in Iraq’s economy due to its agricultural resources and unique wetland areas. Today southern Iraq, which is historically considered the birthplace of the development of early farming communities and the domestication of plants, is experiencing a drastic water resources crisis which is driven by both natural and human-induced reasons such as climate change, long periodical drought and water resources mismanagement practices. Despite the severity of the crisis, there is a lack of integrated and comprehensive assessments addressing the current state of water resources in southern Iraq. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing an in-depth review of the factors affecting water resources in the region. The current situation of water resources is analyzed using different indicators such as water availability in marshes, salinity variation along Shatt al-Arab river and surface of cultivated areas. This paper reviews previous studies, summarizes the current situation, analyzes the key challenges, and explores a range of potential solutions for further investigation. This study analysis is essential for guiding advanced research efforts that offer deeper insight into the challenges and propose practical solutions. This paper identifies key topics for future research to address the water crisis.
Authors
- Nicolas Baghdadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9461-4120)
- A. Alrijabo
- Kévin Del Vecchio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1473-0874)
- M. Azaroual
- Renaud Toussaint (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3698-1934)
- Hayder A. Abbood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6040-386X)
- Marwan Fahs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0454-6476)
- Jamal S. Makki
- Tarek Nasser
- Husam Musa Baalousha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9757-5470)
- Ali Farouq Al-Ma’athedi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5404-0185)
- Amera K. Nasser
- A. Al Bitar
- Laurent Drapeau
- Adrien Wanko Ngnien
- Talib Eghap Hussien
- Mohammad Naser Fares
- Hussein Hadi Mossa Mishbak
- Hayfaa Jasim Hussein
- François Lehmann
- Anis Younes
- Abdulzahra Alhello
- A. Raeisi
- Pierre Blanc
- Nizar Hariri
- Juliette Duclos
- Saleem Ethaib
- Sarah N. Abdel Hassan
- Mahdi S. Mizel
- Waleed Jebir Hassan
- Raghdan Mohsin
- Florence Le Ber
Institutions
- University of Mosul (IQ)
- University of Basrah (IQ)
- Shahrekord University (IR)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (SA)
- Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR)
- Sciences Po Bordeaux (FR)
- University of Oslo (NO)
- Thi Qar University (IQ)
- AgroParisTech (FR)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Centre d'Études Spatiales de la Biosphère (FR)
- Centre de Recherche et d’Enseignement de Géosciences de l’Environnement (FR)
- Territoires (FR)
- Iraq University College (IQ)
- Orient-Institut Beirut (LB)
- Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Université de Strasbourg (FR)
- École des hautes études en sciences sociales (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Hydrology
- Published
- 2026-03-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13030087
- Primary Topic
- Transboundary Water Resource Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie
- Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Étrangères
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Norges Forskningsråd