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

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  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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  Some farmers have already noticed a drop in the water table

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

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

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

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