Al-Maliki calls for the use of foreign expertise to address the problem of water scarcity

Editor: HAH
Thursday, July 26, 2012 11: 44 GMT


Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his chairmanship of the Supreme Committee for agricultural initiative

Alsumaria news/Baghdad

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Thursday, to the use of foreign expertise to address the problem of water scarcity, while announced the formation of a Joint Committee to choose companies capable of solving that problem, he referred to the need to support the date industry and development.

And Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a statement released by his Office on the sidelines he presided over a meeting of the Supreme Committee for agricultural initiative in the presence of the Ministers of agriculture, water resources and Chief advisers and received "alsumaria news", a copy of it, "radical solutions to water scarcity and develop policy in this area to alleviate the water shortage."

He called Al-Maliki to "assignment of foreign experiences put a comprehensive plan to address the issue of water, from the change and development of traditional irrigation methods and the creation of dams and how to make use of groundwater," he said, referring to the importance of "selection of crops suitable for nature Iraq" climate.

Al-Maliki said that "during the meeting to form a Committee comprising the ministries of agriculture and water resources and advisers to the company capable of development chosen effective solutions to alleviate water shortages, and the continued move to neighbouring States including Turkey, Iran to secure Iraq's share of water resources."

The Chairman of the Government that "the meeting stressed the need to continue to support the date industry development and support to achieve the highest benefit to the farmer and the farmer, not intermediaries and invigorates Palm planting associated with Iraq's history and civilization".

And the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced in September of 2010, on a strategic plan for the next 10 years to plant 30 million Palm across the country, the plan includes increasing numbers of mothers of Palm and its seedlings by tissue cultivation of varieties of dates of first class, as well as orchards owners support through lending.

Iraq was, until the end of the 1960s, about 75% of the world dates and occupies the first in this area, but decreased during the past four decades to 9th place, due to a lack of water quotas and diseases and the migration of peasants and leaving the groves, and wars that decimated millions of trees since 1980.

He warned Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in a speech during the first Arab Conference on water held in Baghdad on 30 may, the seriousness of the growing water crisis, while Arabic University invited to develop a strategy to address that crisis and legislation and laws guaranteeing the rights of States in Arabic, he confirmed that the rationalization of water need joint effort and many cultures.

As speaker of the House of Osama warned Tehran, March 5, from regional conflicts due to the water crisis, pointing out that the Arab economy since the early 1990s faces pressure and very strong external challenges, called the importance of common Arabic market crisis.

Iraq is suffering from a steady decline in its water resources, leading to a reduction in cultivated areas, increased salinity of its waters, especially in the southern regions, as a result of the lack of commitment on the part of neighbouring States are (riparian) Turkey, Syria and Iran, to launch water quotas, or her cat rivers and diversion before entering Iraqi territory, or build more large dams, particularly on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, threatening Iraqi water security.