Water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq — the headwaters of which originate in Turkey — have plunged 30 per cent in recent days, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Water Resources.
Iraq has long accused Turkey of holding back water in a network of giant dams, built between the 1970s and the present day. Since then, flows from both rivers have declined by about 40 per cent, cutting off a significant percentage of Iraq’s freshwater, although climate change has also been blamed for declines.
One of the largest of the dams on the Tigris, the Ilisu dam, can hold more than 10 billion cubic metres of water, while the river has an annual flow of around 27 billion cubic metres, although this varies dramatically in times of drought.
On the Euphrates, Turkey’s Attaturk dam has an even larger capacity of 27 billion cubic metres, approaching the volume of the river’s annual flow.
Turkey releases water through both dams, powering hydroelectric power stations, and claims the dams are important to preserve and regulate Iraq’s water supply, the majority of which comes from the two great rivers.
But critics of the dams point out the sharp drop in water flows from both rivers over the decades. Turkey also says Iraq’s dilapidated water infrastructure and wasteful flood irrigation for agriculture leads to unnecessary water losses, something the Iraqi government has acknowledged, while noting that Iraq is recovering from decades of conflict.
Iraq has also accused Iran of building dams on the tributaries of the Tigris, including vital rivers such as the Diyala river, which is dammed in Iran by the Daryan Dam, and the Lower Zaab river, which is dammed in Iran at Sardasht.
Images on social media taken in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq showed sections of the Tigris’ river bed visible in Dhi Qar province as well as in Maysan province, near Iran.
The water ministry blamed the situation in some southern provinces on “the low quantity of water reaching Iraq from neighbouring Turkey”.
“This has triggered a sharp drop in the country's water reserves,” it said in a statement.
Water ministry spokesman Khaled Chamal said on Sunday that Iraq was getting only 30 per cent of the water it expected from the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Authorities will increase levels by releasing water from Iraqi dams in the northern areas of Mosul, Dukan and Darbandikhan, he added, AFP reported on Sunday.
“There should be positive results within the next two days,” he said.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)