Iraq's water crisis is the country's defining resource challenge. Enlil Center is an independent water research center in Baghdad: we track the rivers, the allocation decisions and the institutions behind them, and publish what the evidence shows.
Iraq depends on two rivers whose flows are decided largely upstream, and on an irrigation system that consumes most of what arrives. Our water research covers the Tigris and Euphrates, salinity in the southern governorates, the recovery of the Mesopotamian marshes, groundwater, and the governance question of how water is allocated between farms, cities and ecosystems. We draw on the team's training in water-resources planning under a changing climate (IHE Delft) and on direct engagement with the Ministry of Water Resources and the national water dialogue.
Below are our water reports, articles and datasets, including renewable freshwater per person, withdrawals by sector, precipitation and access to basic water and sanitation.
Iraq's 2025 drought was worse than Enlil's own 2025-2030 projections — and its 2026 recovery is fragile. An updated look at what happened to Tigris-Euphrates flows, reservoirs and Iraqi agriculture, and what a Turkey-Iraq water deal changes.
Iraq declared an environmental emergency over Tigris-Euphrates pollution on 24 September 2026, the latest of several responses this year. Enlil traces the pattern and what enforcement would actually require.
Iraq withdraws 120% of its internal renewable freshwater and has fallen below the 1,000 m³ per person scarcity line. Enlil Center sets out the evidence and four policy priorities.
Basra’s mangrove revival faces saltwater intrusion and oil pollution. Enlil Research examines the Khor Al-Zubair restoration and what it means for the coast.
