President Barham Salih: Imperative for Revitalizing Mesopotamia

Baghdad- INA


President Barham Salih, today, Saturday, calls for the imperative to establish national program to revive Mesopotamia.
 
In an article published on World Environment Day, Salih said: “Evidence of growing climate risks is all around us. Very high temperatures are becoming more common, drought more frequent, and dust storms more intense. Desertification is affecting 39% of Iraq’s territory, and 54% of our land is threatened with the loss of agriculture because of increased salination. Dam building on the headwaters and tributaries of the historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers – the lifeblood of our country – has reduced water flow, leading to a migration of the salt wedge from the Gulf upstream into the Shatt al-Arab.
 
Salih affirmed the need to develop a comprehensive set of initiatives to enhance environmental sustainability, conserve our available natural resources, and establish a green economy, and   new initiatives to modernize irrigation and water management, update building standards, improve waste disposal and recycling, and capture flared associated gas.
 
President Braham Salah also pointed out the importance of water issue as he called for a constructive dialogue between Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria based on the principles of joint responsibility, and common efforts to administer water sustainably.