Baghdad: The Minister of Water Resources, Muthanna al-Tamimi, has directed efforts to enhance water reserves and prepare for the forthcoming winter season. He emphasized the need to increase field and operational readiness to tackle water-related challenges, focusing on boosting water reserves in dams and weirs, and improving water distribution management. This initiative aims to meet the winter agricultural plan’s requirements and sustain the marshlands’ aquatic environment through regular water releases.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the ministry released a statement highlighting that the minister chaired the 137th meeting of the ninth advisory board for the year 2026. The meeting was attended by senior ministry officials, departmental representatives, and an advisor to the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Water, Marshes, and Environment.

The assembly addressed several key areas: water management and system maintenance, sustainability and groundwater recharge, international cooperation, and field monitoring and resource maximization. Discussions involved reviewing water levels and activities of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their tributaries, with an emphasis on intensifying campaigns to remove encroachments on the irrigation network and legally pursuing violators, particularly those with unauthorized fish farms.

The meeting also saw a vote in favor of incorporating groundwater recharge wells into water harvesting dam designs, based on recommendations from a strategic study on water and land resources. Additionally, there was unanimous approval for a draft memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan to exchange expertise and develop resource management, alongside progress updates on projects in the government program, including the cutoff dam project in Basra Governorate.

Directors general were directed to increase field visits to governorates to address challenges and enhance the performance of the General Authority for the Maintenance of Irrigation and Drainage Projects, along with efforts to maximize non-oil revenues related to the ministry’s sectors.