Kalar road, South of Darbandikhan, KRI. A seasonal tributary of the Sirwan (also called Diyala) river is dry despite it being just the end of the rainy season.
A water story (2021)
A crisis in the making as Iran cuts off KRI main rivers - Text by Bart von Laffert
In Topkhana, a village completely dependent on agriculture, Alqod Mahmoud is standing at the edge of the bank, staring powerless at the empty river bed. In March, the rainy season was just about to end, but below his feet, where once the Sirwan river (one of the Tigris main tributaries) used to flow, there is only a pond of stagnant water. He has no doubt about the cause: “It is Iran”, he says.
A tool developed by the NGO Water Peace and Security predicted that the next water conflict will arise along three borders: India-Pakistan, Mali-Niger, and Iran-Iraq. The Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI), on the border with Iran, Syria and Turkey is right in the middle of a conflict in the making.
Darbandikhan, KRI. With Iran limiting the flow by 75 to 80 percent in the last months, the level of the water in the Darbandikhan dam on the Sirwan river reached its lowest level, that usually would reach up to the red signs.
Bani Khellan, KRI. Kawa Salar (49) is a farm owner and restaurant owner. Salar used to grow rice and several fish farms. But due to water scarcity he is now trying to switch to date palms harvesting, a plant typical of much warmer areas.
Topkhana village, KRI. Alqod Mahmoud (33) looks over the Sirwan (also called Diyala) river. He used to pump water for his crops directly from the river, but now the level is so low that the pump he bought is useless.
Bani Khellan, KRI. A dry palm leaf lies on the ground at Kawa Salar’s farm along the Sirwan (also called Diyala) river.
Bani Khellan, KRI. Mahmoud is a worker from Southern Iraq at Kawa Salar’s farm. He is helping the farmer planting date palms, a plant typical of much warmer areas.
Darbandikhan, KRI. The Darbandikhan dam, located 65km southeast of Sulaymaniyah. Normally in March 400 to 500 cubic meters per second of water used to flow in the dam. In March 2021 it was only 28 cubic meters per second.
Lower Darbandikhan, KRI. Two women enjoy the sunset on the Sirwan river in March. The rivers used to unite the culture of this area known as the cradle of civilization. Today, as Save the Tigris organization said, dams are dividing them.