Millions of Iraqis face an intolerably harsh summer, with Turkish dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers compounding a year of low rainfall.
The rivers, which account for more than 90 per cent of Iraq’s freshwater, were at historically low levels following scant winter rainfall in the region and snowmelt mainly in the mountains of Southern Turkey, which feeds into the rivers.
"There is no water for our lands, our livestock and for us to drink"
Turkey says it is also facing a drought and dwindling water supplies, but stands accused of holding on to supplies in its dam reservoirs.
On 7 May, Syrian Minister of Water Resources Tamam Raad called on Turkey to release more water from the vast Ataturk Dam.
On 21 May, Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources said Turkey had released some water, but emphasised that the situation was a crisis.
In the capital Baghdad, photos of the Tigris showed an almost non-existent river.
“Is there a crisis? Yes, there is a real crisis,” Minister of Water Resources, Mahdi Rasheed Al Hamdani, told a press conference this month.
Water flow rates in both rivers have halved from the same period last year, Mr Al Hamdani said.
The historical trend has also been one of decline. According to Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources, water flowing into Iraq has dropped from a 1970s peak of nearly 80 billion cubic metres per year to less than 50 billion cubic metres.
One reason for that decline was a network of 22 Turkish dams that scaled up with the completion of the Ataturk Dam on the Euphrates in 1990 and the recently completed Ilisu Dam on the Tigris. Climate change has also worsened the crisis.
Worsening drought
As summer approaches, upstream dams in Iran have also shrunk the Tigris tributaries, cutting off flow at the Diyala river and decreasing the flow of the Lower Zaab river by 70 per cent, causing a “big crisis” in Diyala province, Mr Al Hamdani added.
“For sure, the situation is worrying,” Mr Al Hamdani said.
Experts and officials told The National that the effect of this plunge in water levels could destroy the ecology, worsen household water quality, which in most areas is already unsafe to drink, and increase soil salinity, leaving barren land that was once fertile.
“The dropping water levels will impact irrigated agriculture with less water flow, which can seriously impact food security, while the drought also could make vegetation more susceptible to wildfires,” said Wim Zwijnenburg, environment and conflict expert.
Agricultural progress after bumper harvests in 2019 “can be easily undone this summer,” said Mr Zwijenburg, a UN Green Star winner.
Declining harvests
In Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, farmers are counting their losses.
The man-made Lake Hamrin, Diyala’s main water source, has lost nearly 70 per cent of its water, according Ahmed Al Zarkoshi, the mayor of Al Saadiyah district.
Lake Hamrin currently holds about 350 million cubic metres of water, down from nearly 3 billion cubic metres in 2018, Mr Al Zarkoshi said.
Over the past three weeks, the lack of water has forced some of the province’s 400 water projects to stop for a few days or work less than their capacity, said the spokesman of the provincial Water Resources Department, Emad Salih.
Sheik Ahmed Thamir expects the worst.
"The current situation is miserable," Mr Thamir, a 50-year-old farmer, told The National.
Out of 1.25-million-square-metres of land planted in November, he now only has 375,000 square metres of wheat, and vegetables in another 100,000 square metres.
To cope with the shortage of water, the Agriculture Ministry has prevented planting rice, corn and vegetables in the summer, allowing only water to reach orchards of palm trees and fruit.
“There is no water for our lands, our livestock and for us to drink,” he said, adding that the residents buy potable water in tankers or jerrycans.
“Those who can afford digging wells will stay in their lands to feed their cattle and make a living from them, but those who can’t will definitely leave for the cities to seek jobs such as construction workers,” he added.
For years, Iraq has been struggling to reach agreements with Turkey and Iran that allow a fair volume of water, but implementation has proven elusive.
Mismanagement of water resources in Iraq, including inefficient flood irrigation methods, rundown water pipe infrastructure and the growing of water-intensive crops such as rice, compound the problem.
As Iraq failed to address these problems over years of sanctions and war, the combined reservoir storage capacity of upriver dams has grown.
In Turkey, storage capacity could be as high as 94 billion cubic metres of water, more than the combined annual flow of the Tigris and Euphrates.
But on all of the dams on the Tigris and Euphrates, evaporation rates are getting higher as global temperatures rise. Low rainfall could complicate efforts to reach agreements.
Destroyed ecology
Iraq’s southern marshes were declared a Unesco world heritage site in 2016, but “indications for drought started last week,” warned a leading Iraqi NGO.
“I believe that there will be a big problem this summer even worse than what we saw in 2009, 2015 and 2018,” said Jassim Al Assadi, the managing director of Nature Iraq NGO.
Iraq’s famed marshes, home to the unique Marsh Arab culture, provided a natural shelter for rebels against former dictator Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s.
Saddam later drained them and displaced the inhabitants.
But after being revived after 2003, the fragile ecosystem almost disappeared in 2015 after prolonged drought.
Higher levels of soil salinity, which occurs naturally but can create a toxic environment at high levels, are impacting the lives of local Marsh Arab buffalo breeders, Mr Al Asadi said.
As their buffalos become sick, many choose to move to the city despite the risk of unemployment, putting even more pressure on strained government services.
“We have to set off the alarm now to prepare ourselves. We act when everything has perished,” Mr Al Asadi said.
Boiling point in Basra
In 2018, over 100,000 people fell sick in the southern port city of Basra by poor domestic water supplies, leading to widespread protests.
Apart from oil pollution uncovered by Human Rights Watch, one of the causes of the mass poisoning was high water salinity, HRW said. The Shatt Al Arab, where the Tigris and Euphrates meet before entering the Gulf, was at a low ebb.
That led to high tides from the Gulf pushing seawater far inland.
Power stations and water treatment plants that take water from the Shatt Al Arab, already struggling due to lack of maintenance, were not designed to cope with high salinity. Meanwhile, farmland became infertile.
“Salinity will affect the cooling systems of the thermal power stations in Basra region,” said Harry Istepanian, Iraq energy expert and consultant.
That could lead to more power plant failures through central Iraq, Mr Istepanian said. Living conditions in Basra and other cities would worsen as summer temperatures surpass 50 Celsius.
Public health in Basra could be again impacted as water levels drop because of local environmental mismanagement including the dumping of sewage and oil spills, Mr Zwijnenburg said. Water pollution would become more concentrated.
“Basra has seen various initiatives, both by international organisations and national charities that put resources into building and repairing water filtration, purification and desalination plants,” Mr Zwijnenburg says.
“We will now see if that work is paying off.”
But even if such projects manage to stablise Basra's situation this year, the long term trends are worrying for the rest of the country, Mr Zwijnenburg said.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
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Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
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4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
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11pm – Hollaphonic
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
The five pillars of Islam
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
match info
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')
Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')
Man of the match Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)