President Salih: addressing climate change should be our top national priority

Baghdad-INA
President Barham Salih stressed on Sunday,  that addressing climate change is a national priority, while noting that Iraqi youth are a major contributor to protecting the environment.

President of the Republic said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, held today Sunday, at Al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, an expanded meeting on the occasion of World Environment Day, in the presence of the Minister of Environment Jassem Al-Falahi and representatives of the United Nations, UNESCO and specialized Iraqi civil society organizations, on the issue of environmental protection."

The water environmental situation in the country in addition to the reduction in the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers took a center stage at the meeting.

 The water case should have a national priority for Iraq as it is an anchor for the national security of the country, President Salih stressed.

He predicted that "our water deficit will reach 10.8 billion cubic meters by 2035, according to the studies of the Ministry of Water Resources, due to the decline in the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates, evaporation in dam water and the failure to modernize irrigation methods."


 It is vital to protect water bodies and maintain dams, President Salih said ,To that end, we have to develop strategic plans that would be set by the government installations in coordination with international experts in order to tackle the challenges presented by drought, desertification, and climate change, these challenges have become a global crisis threatening the States of the world, especially the Middle East.

Mr. Rashid in turn briefed His Excellency President Salih about the water environmental situation and the plans being set to meet the challenges faced by the country due to the reduction of the rainwater and drought.

The current negotiations being held with the neighbor states on the Iraq water quota were also a part of the conversations in the meeting.