A strategy for preserving water from wasting in light of climate change

Assistant teacher .Yazan Yassen Jabbar

Anbar University/ University Presidency - Center for Strategic Studies

Yezn.yaseen@uoanbar.edu.iq

Water is the secret of life and its main artery, and it is necessary for all types of living beings, as God Almighty said in His decisive, Mighty Book (And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?) (Surat Al-Anbiya, verse 30). What indicates the importance of water since ancient times is the establishment of the first civilizations near water sources, such as the Mesopotamian civilization and the Nile Valley civilization, to practice their various life activities that depended primarily on water, and this applies to all other civilizations in the world in which water was the basis of their existence and survival, and it was sanctified. Islam and ancient civilizations recognized the element of water and called for its preservation.

Climate change has become one of the problems facing the world and its effects are tangible, and this is evident through the rise in temperatures, the spread of fires, the change in rainfall patterns, drought, the recurrence of dust storms, the melting of ice in the polar regions, the rise in sea level, the thinning of the ozone layer in the atmosphere, and others. Other effects resulting from climatic changes that were caused by natural and human factors.

All countries of the world suffer from the effects of climatic changes, but in varying proportions from one country to another, but the arid and semi-arid regions are the most affected by that, including Iraq, as Iraq ranks fifth in the world among the countries most affected by climate changes.

Iraq is facing a water scarcity crisis and severe drought, which has caused a decrease in the strategic water reserve, and warns of environmental and humanitarian risks, while the Ministry of Water Resources confirms that it is following procedures and remedies to confront the crisis.

But the crisis affected large areas, and cast a shadow on the rivers, lakes and marshes of Iraq, including Lake Habbaniyah in Anbar Governorate, west of the country, and it was out of service, according to a statement by the Director of Water Resources in Anbar to the (INA) Agency on 8/4/2023 AD.

The effects of climate change will worsen in the absence of urgent and serious measures by the government and the people together, and the potential human costs of these changes will be great. A large number of residents have already been affected and displaced from their areas of residence and abandoned their lands and agricultural work due to drought and water scarcity. Therefore, we must act accordingly. Serious and real strategies that can be applied on the ground to reduce the effects of climate change.

  But before starting to discuss the proposed strategies, we must note that water scarcity is not caused only by climate change, but rather the weakness of the general management of the country’s water resources and the political weakness in demanding adequate water shares in terms of quantity and quality from upstream countries, all of which are reasons that have combined to exacerbate the water scarcity crisis. In the country, there is a significant decrease in water in the rivers and some lakes are out of service.

As for the proposed strategy for water conservation in light of climate change, it is:

1- The need to raise awareness among the general public about the importance of water, how to preserve it, rationalize it, and not waste it, and that this is a humanitarian, national, and religious duty, through written, visual, and audio media, and introducing a curriculum starting from kindergartens, primary schools, then secondary schools, all the way to universities.

2- Coordination with neighboring countries in order to ensure Iraq’s water share with efficiency and quality suitable for human use, as the water that reaches Iraq will most likely be water used for agricultural or other purposes, so it will be of poor quality.

3- Using water harvesting technology to collect and store water during rainfall in open areas, as well as harvesting water from the roofs of houses and public places, and then using it when needed.

4- Lifting all forms of violations of water resources, including government violations such as sewage pipes in cities and hospitals, and enforcing laws and imposing penalties on violators.

5- Creating and deepening riverbeds and water channels to reduce the surface area and thus reduce the rate of evaporation, and lining irrigation channels. Floating shade balls can also be used to cover the surface of the water. They are plastic balls made of high-density polyethylene and are used in developed countries and have proven successful in reducing the amount of water losses due to evaporation.

6- Installing water meters in homes to rationalize water use and avoid waste.

7- Moving away from traditional irrigation methods (sewage irrigation) and adopting modern irrigation methods (spray or drip irrigation) to reduce the amount of water used in the irrigation process as well as reduce water losses, whether through evaporation or leakage.

8- Watering should be done in the morning or evening to reduce the rate of evaporation.

9- Use plant varieties that can tolerate drought and high temperatures, and avoid crops that need large amounts of water.

10- Pay attention to planting trees because of their great role in cooling the atmosphere and reducing heat cycles, which facilitates the reduction of water evaporation rates.

11- Finally, desalination of seawater (Arabian Gulf water) in Basra, southern Iraq, which is a far-fetched proposal, but remains a final option.