It is well known that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) receives 17% of the
total budget for Iraq as a whole and that the country’s budget is derived from
oil revenues. The KRG uses the money it receives to pay the salaries of its
staff, totaling around 1,000,000 individuals employed at all levels, but for
the last two months, as a result of dispute over oil revenues and other dispute
in the Iraqi Parliament, the KRG has not received any money from Baghdad so
that it has not been able to pay its staff salaries and many families are now
facing hardship.
As the families of the KRG staff suffer the consequences
of this dispute the media in Kurdistan have pounced on the story and each
newspaper and television station has expressed its view on the current
situation. In the absence of an official state media the numerous press, radio
and television studios that are supported by political parties, groups or
indeed individuals have been airing their views, some of which have been very
irresponsible in the current situation. A story that has unfortunately gained
notice states that, in response to the failure of Baghdad to release funds to
the KRG, water flowing into central Iraq from Kurdistan will be cut off!
When I heard of this threat to cut the water supply I
immediately went to see the KRG’s official spokesman who assured me that there
was no truth in this story and he was very angry that such a story existed.
However the media were by then having a field day with the idea and naturally
it has come to the attention of Baghdad. The result has been that two
prominent MPs ( Mahmood El-Hassan & Alia Nsaif) from the Prime Minister’s
party have openly stated that if the water supply to the south is cut the army
should be sent into Kurdistan to put a stop to it!. Firstly I could not believe that the idea of
depriving the south of water had been given any credence but secondly I was
appalled to think that there were those in power in central government who
would immediately send the army into Kurdistan. How I wish that those in
government had been so ready to act when Iran stopped 23 rivers flowing in to
Iraq or when Turkey reduced the waters of the Tigris and as they are now doing
to the Euphrates.
On this website we endeavour to be transparent in
everything we do and the tables below show the amount of rain recorded at 77
weather stations throughout the three governorates of Kurdistan. The results
show that as of last week the amount of rain falling in Kurdistan this season
has been 40% less than that recorded in the same time last year. Quite simply
we are, like the rest of the Middle East region this year, facing the
possibility of drought. We have had rain today but it has not been sufficient
to alter the threat of drought and the strong possibility that this coming
summer both the north and south will face a lack of water.
We should not reduce ourselves to being like our
neighbours in Turkey and Iran where water is a commodity that can be used to
threaten others.
1. Number
of Water Collection Stations in Kurdistan: 77 Stations.
2.
338 mm rain ppt this season up
to ,4th, March 2014.
3. 570
mm rain ppt last season (2012-2013).
4.
Differences between the two seasons
(-232.2 mm).
5.
Percentage differences ( – 40.7%).
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