• 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
    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
    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
    '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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Some farmers have already noticed a drop in the water table
  • Hadi Fathallah of consultancy Namea Group described using wells as 'very desperate'
    Hadi Fathallah of consultancy Namea Group described using wells as 'very desperate'
  • Iraq should focus on modernising agriculture and water diplomacy, Mr Fathallah said
    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
    'This is not adaptation to climate change. It's a kind of morphine,' he said

MENA

Iraq

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

The National

May 30, 2023

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Updated: May 30, 2023, 9:56 AM
Middle EastIraq