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Water Crisis in West Asia: The Case of Iran and Iraq
Abstract: Water has been a scarce resource in the West Asian region. Owing to its geographical location in one of the most arid parts of the world, the region hosts the highest number of water-stressed countries in the world. Thus, West Asia is placed in a vulnerable position with impacts stretching far beyond the environment to politics, peace and regional stability.
Introduction
There are two concepts that are pivotal in understanding the water crisis: water scarcity and water stress.[i] Water scarcity is largely understood to be the lack of physical availability of water resources. On the other hand, water stress refers to a situation where the demand for water resources far exceeds the available water supply. West Asia suffers from water scarcity as well as water stress. According to 2019 data, out of the 25 most water-stressed countries in the world, 16 are in West Asia.[ii] As of 2023, seven countries were classified as having the highest level of water stress, and six of them are in West Asia.[iii] These include Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.
The acute level of water stress is further compounded by the complex geopolitical situation that the region is constantly grappling with. In situations of conflict and turmoil, which are characteristic of most of West Asia, the repercussions of the lack of available water sources are further aggravated by artificial barriers to accessing water. While the region as a whole faces water shortages, the situation in Iran and Iraq has seen a marked deterioration in recent months. This paper provides an overview of the issue of water scarcity in the region and then goes on to highlight the situations in Iran and Iraq.
Overview of Water Scarcity in West Asia
West Asia has very limited water resources. There are three major river basins in the region, which include the Jordan River Basin, the Nile, and the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin.[iv] The Jordan River basin flows to the Dead Sea, with Israel and the West Bank lying to its west and Syria’s Golan Heights and Jordan to its east.
Fig. 1 Jordan River Basin.
On the other hand, the Nile River passes through Egypt and has been at the centre of several conflicts. The Tigris-Euphrates River basin originates in Turkey and flows through Iraq, Syria and Turkey. However, the water levels of these sources are depleting fast, and the rest of the region has little to no water sources.
Fig. 2 Nile River
Fig. 3 Tigris-Euphrates River
Source: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/08/iraqs-water-crisis-dammed-neighbours-failed-leaders
The Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is one of the most water-scarce regions of the world. Desert land accounts for about 90 per cent of the peninsula, with some countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain not having any rivers or natural water sources in their territory.[v] Yemen is the other country geographically located on the Arabian Peninsula, which has been dealing with a prolonged period of conflict.
This part of West Asia covers approximately 4.7 per cent of the world’s total land area and hosts 4.25 per cent of the world’s total population.[vi] However, it hosts only 1.1 per cent of the world’s total water resources, which underscores the level and intensity of the water scarcity in the region.[vii] While groundwater aquifers are present, these are mostly non-renewable and are depleting. Moreover, as the six Gulf countries are undergoing economic transformations, the water consumption in the region has increased significantly. For instance, in 2020, the water demand in Saudi Arabia stood at 15.98 billion cubic metres, and within this, the urban water demand stood at 3.6 billion cubic metres.[viii] With policy reforms, this number has come down substantially to 9,356 million cubic metres.[ix] On the other hand, Bahrain has seen its water demand rise to 164.68 million cubic metres in 2024 from 163.75 million cubic metres in 2023.[x]
Levant
The Levant includes Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. Jordan is a highly water-stressed country and has been ranked as the 15th most water-stressed country in the world in 2023.[xi] Notably, the Jordan-Yarmouk River flows through this country but the water level has seen a considerable decline due to upstream diversions by Israel and Syria.[xii] On the other hand, Syria has gone through a regime change and has faced a prolonged period of civil war, which has put a strain on the limited water resources available in the country.[xiii] The war has led to severe damage or destruction of around two-thirds of water facilities, including treatment plants, pumping stations and sewage systems.[xiv] While the new government has acknowledged the water problem, it will take a substantial amount of time for effective policies to be formulated. To have a sustainable water supply, Syria also needs to forge strong and long-standing ties with its neighbours Iraq and Turkey, as the Tigris-Euphrates River is a major source that is shared by the three countries.[xv] A water crisis has also been looming in Lebanon, which has been going through one of its worst droughts in 65 years.[xvi] Major rivers in the country are drying up at a fast pace. Water levels in the largest lake in the country, Lake Qaraoun, have reached their lowest levels since 1959.[xvii] The protracted conflict in Israel and Palestine has created a major water crisis in the countries.[xviii]
Turkey and Egypt are also facing water scarcity, although their levels are not as urgent as the rest of the region. Iran and Iraq have emerged as the hotspots of the water crisis in the region with widespread implications.
Water Scarcity and Its Repercussions in Iran
Iran’s geographical location places it in a strategically advantageous position. However, this fact has proved to be challenging when it comes to its water resources. Iran is located in what is called the “dry belt” of the earth, where nearly 70 per cent of its area is located in arid and semi-arid regions.[xix]
Fig. 4: Iran Climate Map
The average annual rainfall is about 250 millimetres per year, which varies across the country, with the precipitation in central Iran hovering around 50 millimetres annually.[xx] Due to high temperature, 72 per cent[xxi] water evaporates. Thus, dams become important and supply nearly all of Iran’s water needs.[xxii] A large chunk of water is consumed by the agricultural sector. This sector consumes about 42.43 billion cubic metres of water per year.[xxiii] Despite consuming a significant proportion of the scarce water resources, the agricultural sector is still not self-sufficient. Due to such factors, Iran has experienced water scarcity from time to time. In recent months, the scarcity has worsened. According to some reports, Iran is going through its sixth consecutive year of drought year.[xxiv]
Factors Causing the Current Water Crisis
While climate factors make Iran naturally vulnerable to water scarcity, there are several reasons why the water crisis has been exacerbated. One of the primary reasons has been the agricultural sector. For decades, Iran has been making concerted efforts at food security, which has led to significant water consumption.[xxv] While agriculture consumes more than 90 per cent of the water resources in Iran, the average productivity is around 0.75 kg per cubic metre.[xxvi] This is significantly low when compared to the amount of water that has been put into use for the sector. While at face value, it may appear that the importance that has been placed on the agriculture sector in Iran is misplaced, it has deeper strategic and historical roots. During the period when the Pahlavi dynasty was in power, from 1925 to 1979, agriculture was deprioritised to divert capital and labour into the oil and heavy industries.[xxvii] However, in post-revolution Iran, the agricultural sector gained importance because it came to symbolise national authenticity and justice in the sense that foreign dependence would significantly be reduced.[xxviii] The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) further solidified this policy, and agricultural self-sufficiency became an important pillar of the “khodkafa’i” ideology, which means self-sufficiency.[xxix] Thus, a significant proportion of water continues to be diverted to the agricultural sector.
Growing urbanisation is another factor that has led to the water crisis in Iran. Nearly 77 per cent[xxx] of Iran is urbanised, which has put a considerable strain on the limited water resources. As more urban areas grow, the population grows equally, leading to an increase in per capita water demand and usage. On the other hand, water scarcity in the rural areas has led to outmigration to the sprawling Iranian cities, which has further exacerbated the crisis.[xxxi] Several cities, including the capital, Tehran, have faced acute water shortages and are on the brink of ‘Day Zero’, which is the boundary beyond which supply systems do not function.[xxxii]
While internal difficulties are significant, not all of Iran’s water woes are due to reasons within. Transboundary water tensions and hydropolitics have played a major role in worsening the water crisis. West Asia, as a region, is already water scarce by virtue of the geographic factors. With limited rivers in the region, several countries share waters from the same source. Iran is no exception and is heavily dependent on transboundary rivers like Helmand (Iran and Afghanistan, shown in Fig. 5), Harirud (Afghanistan, Iran and Turkmenistan, shown in Fig. 6) and Aras (Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran, shown in Fig. 7).[xxxiii] As such, Iran has numerous transboundary water treaties. But the volatile nature of its neighbourhood has posed significant hurdles in meaningful cooperation. The Helmand River Treaty with Afghanistan, signed in 1973, has made headlines from time to time due to challenges in implementation. The treaty guaranteed 820 million cubic metres of annual flow to Iran, but this has rarely been implemented.[xxxiv] Afghanistan has constructed several dams in the river, like the Kajaki Dam, Arghandab and Kamal Khan projects.[xxxv] With each dam constructed, Iran’s water supply gets threatened. Similarly, Turkish projects on the Tigris and Euphrates as well as the Aras Rivers reduce water flow to Iran.[xxxvi]
Fig. 5 Helmand River
Fig. 6. Harirud River
Fig. 7. Aras River
Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Aras-River
On top of it all, the sanctions regime currently in place makes it even harder for Iran to strategise and mitigate the water crisis as technology becomes difficult to access.
Iraq’s Worst Drought in a Century
Iraq is currently going through one of its worst droughts since 1933, owing to the reduced water flow in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.[xxxvii] The water flow in the two rivers has dropped by 27 per cent owing to lower rainfall and upstream water restrictions.[xxxviii] In 2024, the total volume of water flowing through the rivers was 18 billion cubic metres, which has now reduced to 10 billion cubic metres in 2025.[xxxix] The evolving water crisis in Iraq has led to significant displacements and waterborne diseases. For instance, in Dhi Qar, the water shortages have caused the displacement of about 10,000 families.[xl] The agricultural sector has also been adversely affected, with the Agriculture Ministry announcing in November 2025 that the country’s winter agricultural plan would be reduced by 50 per cent and the export of surplus wheat will be delayed.[xli] This is a major cause of concern for Iraq because it had achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production in 2023 after several decades of government efforts.[xlii] It was able to maintain this stride for three consecutive years only to be blown off track by the water crisis. The water crisis in Iraq is a tragic contrast to the Mesopotamian region’s historical role as the cradle of human civilisation.
Causal Factors in Iraqi Droughts
The current water crisis and drought in Iraq is not a new event but has been going on from time to time since the 1970s.[xliii] Several factors have contributed to the worsening of droughts in Iraq. One of the most important factors among them is the fact that Iraq is heavily dependent on its neighbouring countries for a large proportion of its water supply. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers form the backbone of the Iraqi water supply system. Nearly 71 per cent of Iraq’s water comes from Turkey, 6.9 per cent comes from Iran and 4 per cent from Syria.[xliv] As neighbouring Turkey and Iran construct dams upstream, Iraq’s water flow through the Tigris-Euphrates reduces. Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Project includes more than 22 major dams and 19 hydroelectric plants on the Tigris and Euphrates.[xlv] On the other hand, Iran has also constructed more than 20 dams and projects.[xlvi]
Added to this, the complex nature of the Iraqi political system creates structural constraints for taking proactive measures to mitigate the water crisis. While it is a significant feat that democratic elections have become a norm in Iraq post 2003, government formation, however, remains convoluted. After the fifth general elections were held in 2021, government formation took around 382 days.[xlvii] The trend since 2003 in Iraq points towards an average of 203 days between elections and government formation.[xlviii] This means that a significant gap exists when it comes to government policies to tackle urgent issues. While a caretaker government fills the gap, there is only so much that it can take forward in terms of policies. This perhaps explains why Iraq has not been able to assert itself in negotiations over water-sharing arrangements.
These factors in conjunction with climate change have further exacerbated the issue.[xlix] It has caused erratic rainfall, causing flash floods, and at the same time, increasing temperatures have affected water availability.[l]
The Way Forward
The water crisis in both Iran and Iraq, and the wider West Asia region, is complex. Their location in the dry belt of the earth naturally places them at a disadvantaged position. However, due to various other factors like transboundary river water sharing mechanisms, government constraints and water usage patterns, the water crisis in Iran and Iraq has been exacerbated.
In the case of Iran, major reforms are needed in the agricultural sector, focusing on a shift to drought-resistant crops instead of water-intensive ones. Modern irrigation systems need to be developed that would reduce the usage of groundwater. Lastly, it needs to be ensured that the existing mechanisms of transboundary river water sharing treaties are adhered to. In this regard, there needs to be a robust diplomatic engagement between Iran and its neighbouring countries that would help foster an understanding of the mutual needs vis-à-vis water resources.
On a similar line of thought, Iraq can also benefit from diplomatic engagement with its neighbours, particularly Türkiye. The “oil for water” deal signed between Iraq and Türkiye is a case in point.[li] Greater engagement may breed more such deals and foster deeper cooperation for mutual benefit. While the space to manoeuvre Iraq’s complex political system is limited, greater political cooperation between different factions in the consociational system for the greater benefit of the nation can contribute significantly to the easing of the water stress in the country.
Lastly, climate change is a factor with global ramifications that looms large over all the countries in the world. While West Asian countries are naturally more vulnerable, there needs to be a global effort to tackle climate change for any meaningful relief.
*****
*Stuti Gogoi, Research Intern, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.
Endnotes
[i].CEO Water Mandate. (2017) “What do Water Scarcity, Water Stress and Water Risk actually Mean”, January 17. https://ceowatermandate.org/posts/water-scarcity-water-stress-water-risk-actually-mean/ Accessed February 5, 2026.
[ii] World Population Review. 2026. “Water Stress by Country 2026”. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/water-stress-by-country Accessed January 6, 2026.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Khalid, Mohammed. 2021. “Geopolitics of Water Conflict in West Asia: Tigris-Euphrates Basin” https://finsindia.org/geopolitics-of-water-conflict-in-west-asia-the-tigris-euphrates-basin.html#:~:text=Water%20is%20an%20important%20strategic,Euphrates%20flows%20for%201%2C230%20km. Accessed January 7, 2026.
[v] Times of India. 2025. “Countries that do not have rivers including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and more.” February 27.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/countries-that-do-not-have-rivers-including-saudi-arabia-qatar-oman-and-more/articleshow/118584303.cms Accessed January 7, 2026.
[vi] Odhiambo, George. 2016. “Water Scarcity in the Arabian Peninsula and its Socio-Economic Impact.” Applied Water Science 7: 2479-2492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-016-0440-1. Accessed January 7, 2026.
[vii] Ibid
[viii] US-Saudi Business Council. 2022. “Saudi Arabia’s Water Sector”. https://ussaudi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Water-2022-Economic-Brief.pdf. Accessed January 8, 2026.
[ix] General Authority for Statisticcs. 2025. “Consumption of Non-Renewable groundwater decreases by 7% in 2023.” GASTAT Consumption of non-renewable groundwater decreases by 7% in 2023 (stats.gov.sa) Accessed January 8, 2026
[x] Kingdom of Bahrain. “Average Daily Water Consumption” https://shorturl.at/yD8V2%3D accessed January 8, 2026
[xi] Op. Cit. 1.
[xii] Garthwaite, Josie. 2021. “Stanford Study Reveals a Deepening Water Crisis in Jordan and a way forward.” https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2021/03/jordans-worsening-water-crisis-warning-world Accessed January 8, 2026.
[xiii] Fanack Water. “Syria’s Water Sector After Regime Change” https://water.fanack.com/syria-water-crisis-regime-change-2025/ Accessed January 8, 2026.
[xiv] Ibid.
[xv] Ibid.
[xvi] Tello, Anan. 2025. “How war and drought have resulted in Lebanon’s worst water crisis in decades”. September 26. Arab News https://www.arabnews.com/node/2616453/middle-east Accessed January 8, 2026.
[xvii] Raydan, Rodayna. 2025. “The Next Disaster: Lebanon’s Water Crisis Reaches Breaking Point”. July 24. NOW Lebanon https://nowlebanon.com/the-next-disaster-lebanons-water-crisis-reaches-breaking-point/ Accessed January 8, 2026.
[xviii] The Water Project. “Water in Crisis – Israel, Palestine and Jordan”. https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-israel-palestine-jordan Accessed January 8, 2026.
[xix] Czulda, Robert. 2022. “Iran’s Water Security: An Emerging Challenge”. May 11. Middle East Policy 29(2), 113-123. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mepo.12626?casa_token=J3RmbiPBfZMAAAAA%3AooO34ocV9SDVVMwXC3OXCc_rMFI-TMSw7jvaWYLubJCcbXpTGnEIzwKuaKwiZUQOiCf1M6rCVazHLA accessed January 9, 2026.
[xx] Ibid.
[xxi] Khatibi, S. and Arjjumend, H. (2019). Water Crisis in Making in Iran. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2(3): 45-54. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.02034 Accessed January 19, 2026.
[xxii] Food and Agriculture Organization. “Water Efficiency, Productivity and Sustainability in the MENA Region: Iran”. https://www.fao.org/in-action/water-efficiency-nena/countries/iran/en/ Accessed January 9, 2026.
[xxiii] Khorsandi, Mostafa; Omidi Tayebeh and Oel Peter van. 2023. “Water related limits to growth for agriculture in Iran”. Heliyon 9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402303339X Accessed January 9, 2026.
[xxiv]Hein, Shabnam von. 2025. “Iran’s Drought: A Disaster in Slow Motion”. Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/irans-drought-a-disaster-in-slow-motion/a-74700581#:~:text=Iran%20has%20now%20seen%20six,short%20of%20the%20projected%20goal. Accessed January 9, 2026.
[xxv] Romaniuk, Scott N; Rozsa Erzsebet N. and Csicsmann, Laszlo. 2025. “Iran’s Water Crisis: A National Security Imperative”. December 27. Geopolitical Monitor https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/irans-water-crisis-a-national-security-imperative/ Accessed January 19, 2026.
[xxvi] Op. Cit. 19.
[xxvii] Kayvanfar, Kamyar. 2025. “Iran’s Water Crisis: Historical Roots, Ideological Dimensions and Policy Challenges”, November 20. Observer Research Foundation Middle East. https://www.orfonline.org/research/iran-s-water-crisis-historical-roots-ideological-dimensions-and-policy-challenges Accessed January 20, 2026.
[xxviii] Ibid.
[xxix] Babagoli, Mozhdeh and Ikeda, Satoshi. 2019. ”Six Decades of the Second Food Regime in Iran, the Trajectory of Iranian National Food Regime”. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7, 191-205.
[xxx] Op. Cit. 19.
[xxxi] Mitchell, Penelope. 2025. “Mounting Water Crisis a Major Test for Iranian State”, September 26. Geopolitical Monitor. https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/mounting-water-crisis-a-major-test-for-iranian-state/ Accessed January 20, 2026.
[xxxii] Meadway, James. 2026. “How ‘day zero’ water shortages in Iran are fuelling protests”, January 15. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/how-day-zero-water-shortages-in-iran-are-fuelling-protests#:~:text=Gripped%20by%20a%20terrible%20drought,Pezeshkian%2C%20said%20back%20in%20November. Accessed January 20, 2026.
[xxxiii] Fanack Water. 2025. “Iran’s Transboundary Tensions and Regional Water Politics” https://water.fanack.com/iran-transboundary-water-tensions/ Accessed January 20, 2026.
[xxxiv] Ibid.
[xxxv] Boltuc, Silvia. 2025. “Water, Security and Cooperation: Iran and Afghanistan Address the Helmand River Dispute”. Special Eurassia 29(6). https://www.specialeurasia.com/2025/01/30/helmand-river-iran-afghanistan/ Accessed January 20, 2026.
[xxxvi] Shahbazov, Fuad. 2022. “Iran and Turkey Rift grows over dam construction projects". July 12. Hidropolitik Akademi. https://hidropolitikakademi.org/en/article/29650/iran-and-turkey-rift-grows-over-dam-construction-projects Accessed January 20, 2026.
[xxxvii] Al Jazeera. 2025. “Iraq is facing a water crisis, hit by one of its worst droughts in century”. August 19. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/19/iraq-is-facing-a-water-crisis-hit-by-one-of-its-worst-droughts-in-century Accessed January 14, 2026
[xxxviii] Ibid
[xxxix] Al-Shakeri, Hayder. 2025. “Iraq’s Water Crisis: Dammed by neighbors, failed by leaders”. August 13. Chatham House, https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/08/iraqs-water-crisis-dammed-neighbours-failed-leaders Accessed January 14, 2026.
[xl] Op. Cit. 35.
[xli] The New Region. 2025. “Iraq postpones surplus wheat export amid water crisis”. https://thenewregion.com/posts/3567#:~:text=ERBIL%2C%20Kurdistan%20Region%20of%20Iraq,required%20level%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20added. Accessed January 19, 2026.
[xlii] Salem, Amr. 2025. “Iraq achieves self sufficiency in Wheat for third year in a row” July 15. Iraqi News. https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/iraq-achieves-self-sufficiency-in-wheat-for-third-year-in-a-row/ Accessed January 19, 2026.
[xliii] Cooke, Georgia and Mansour, Renad. 2020. “Same Old Politics will not Solve Iraq Water Crisis.” April 15. Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/04/same-old-politics-will-not-solve-iraq-water-crisis Accessed January 21, 2026.
[xliv] Al Ansari, Nadhir and Adamo, Nasrat. 2018. “Present Water Crisis in Iraq and its Human and Environmental Implications”. June 7. Engineering 10. 305-319.
[xlv] Op. Cit. 37.
[xlvi] Muhammad, Khalil Karim and Baban Mahmood. 2025. “The Drying Up of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region: A Study of Domestic Challenges and Transboundary Water Control.” July 14. Rudaw Research Centre. https://rudawrc.net/en/article/the-drying-up-of-iraq-and-the-kurdistan-region-a-study-of-domestic-chalenges-and-transboundary-water-control-2025-07-14 accessed January 21, 2026.
[xlvii] Quamar, Md. Muddassir. 2025. “Iraq stands on the brink of another political impasse”. November 8. The Week. https://www.theweek.in/news/middle-east/2025/11/08/opinion-iraq-stands-on-the-brink-of-another-political-impasse.html Accessed January 22, 2026.
[xlviii] Ibid.
[xlix] Op. Cit. 42
[l] Op. Cit. 37
[li] Amwaj. 2025. “Politicians hail Iraq-Turkey ‘oil for water’ accord as critics play foul.” https://amwaj.media/en/media-monitor/officials-hail-iraq-turkey-oil-for-water-accord-as-critics-cry-foul Accessed January 22, 2026.
