Iraqi farmers turn to desert wells for wheat harvest as rivers run dry - in pictures

Debate on whether method is sustainable continues as aquifers show signs of depletion

A view shows wheat that has dried before the start of the harvesting season in a field on the outskirts of Karbala, Iraq May 15, 2023. REUTERS / Thaier Al-Sudani

Watered by sprinklers fitted to 100-metre-deep wells, Amin Salah produces double what he did near the river

'It's golden season,' said Mr Salah: less money spent and water used, and a bigger and better quality harvest

Iraq's government says the move has more than doubled wheat-cultivated areas to 850,000 hectares

That has translated into a harvest of about four million tonnes of wheat – 80% of Iraq's needs

The change in methods is driven by necessity: Iraq's two main rivers have lost more than half of their flow

Drilling the desert for water may provide immediate relief but heavy use of the wells could bleed desert aquifers dry

Some farmers have already noticed a drop in the water table

Hadi Fathallah of consultancy Namea Group described using wells as 'very desperate'

Iraq should focus on modernising agriculture and water diplomacy, Mr Fathallah said

'This is not adaptation to climate change. It's a kind of morphine,' he said

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