Kurdistan considers cutting water supplies to Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) –  The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) might cut the water supplies from branches of Tigris river to central and south of Iraq to encourage the Iraqi government stop discriminating against Kurds.

Iraqi government in its latest decisions against the Kurdistan Region accepted only 70 percent of the wheat that the Region produced this year. This decision comes after the Iraqi government received hundred percent of the wheat products from the farmers of central and southern Iraq.

Abdulasatar Majid the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources revealed to Kurdistan24 on Tuesday that if Baghdad continues its economic pressure on the Kurdistan Region, the Region will take some measures against Baghdad. Cutting water supplies from Tigris to the central and south of Iraq might be one of the options.

According to Majid, the Kurdistan Region has several pressure cards to play against Iraq, on political and security level, trade and commercial. “Most of the industrial products to Iraq are mostly imported through the Kurdistan Region,” he added.

“Yes, water is another important pressure card that could be used against Baghdad, but we have not yet used this because of our humanitarian concerns,” Majid added.

According to information obtained by a Kurdistan24 reporter, a Swiss company whose delegation is currently in the Kurdistan Region shows a willingness to buy wheat from the Region.

KRG officials complain that the recent decision by the Iraqi government was uncalled for and was made while Baghdad owes nearly 700 billion IQD to Kurdistan farmers from wheat sale to the federal government in 2014 and 2015.

Editing by Ava Homa
(Karwan Sabah Hawrami contributed in this report)