Größter See im Irak droht Austrocknung

Wie dramatisch die Wasserknappheit im Irak inzwischen ist, demonstriert ein neuer Bericht über den größten See im Irak, der nun auszutrocknen droht:

With drought and a lack of rainfall ravaging the country, Lake Hamrin, which once used to supply 80 percent of water to the people of Diyala province, has almost completely dried up.

Around 150,000 acres of farmland in the Hamrin area in northeastern Diyala province are on the brink of desertification, a dangerous development that may force myriads of locals to abandon their regions and seek work elsewhere in urban areas, according to local authorities.

"There was a lot of water here in the past that would reach the residential areas, and the sheep would drink water close to the households. The water has vanished and the sheep are thirsty. Nothing is left behind," Ali Jasim, a young shepherd, told Rudaw's Halkawt Aziz over the weekend.

Lake Hamrin is situated 55 kilometers northeast of Diyala's capital of Baqubah on the Alwand River. The water basin was opened in 1981 to protect the province from seasonal floods, soon becoming a strategic water reservoir in Diyala and capable of holding 2.4 billion cubic meters of water.

"By God, we have lost all we had in possession. You can no longer find a single farmer in this region because the lake has dried up. We used to make a living out of this water," said farmer Mohanad Khalid

Iraq's lakes are drying at an alarming rate. The country's second-largest lake, known as Milh or Razzaza lake, completely dried up in February. 

Iraq's water resources ministry has previously warned that the country's water reserves have halved since last year.

Diese Bilder zeigen, wie dramatisch es um die Lage des Sees inzwischen bestellt ist.