- Philippines says disputed reef 'not lost' to China despite pullout
- England's Curry 'curled up and cried' after serious injury
- TikTok battles US ban threat in court
- Glamorgan approach Hollywood's Reynolds and McElhenney over Hundred investment
- League Cup still 'significant' for Man Utd boss Ten Hag
- Brazil's farmers fret over fires and drought
- Top Biden aide says US economy at 'turning point'
- US military says withdrawal from Niger is complete
- Iran president vows to ensure morality police don't 'bother' women
- Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
- Toll hits 17 as Storm Boris lashes central Europe
- Hamas chief says ready for 'long war' in Gaza
- Suspect in Trump assassination attempt charged with gun crimes
- Iran's new president vows to ensure morality police don't 'bother' women
- Australia put teenage quick Beardman on standby for England ODIs
- Americans, Swiss snatch lifeline in Louis Vuitton Cup
- Stock markets mixed before Fed decision
- Trump blames Biden and Harris 'rhetoric' for assassination bids
- Ex-BBC anchor avoids jail over 'repugnant' images of children
- Brentford forward Wissa out for 'a couple of months'
- Titanic shipbuilder sinks back into trouble
- Where in the world is closest to becoming a '15-minute city'?
- Russia evacuates border villages in Kursk region
- US election in newly volatile territory after Trump alleged assassination bid
- UK PM Starmer praises Italy's Meloni for reducing illegal migration
- France probes online threats against Afghan taekwondo fighter
- Sinner hires Djokovic's ex-fitness coach after dope test row
- Swifties raise $40k in wake of Trump post hating on star
- Fear and tears as Storm Boris wrecks Czech town
- Stock markets waver before Fed decision
- Storm Boris unleashes central Europe flooding, toll hits 15
- Penpix of candidates to succeed Bach as IOC President
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix - three things we learned
- AC Milan midfielder Bennacer out for four months
- British politics and fashion collide at London Fashion Week
- French YouTuber hits peak with Everest documentary
- Athletics legend Coe vies with six rivals for IOC presidency
- Ex-BBC anchor Huw Edwards avoids jail over 'repugnant' child images
- Bellingham, Tchouameni back for Madrid's Champions League opener
- Thierry Breton: France's bulldozer at the EU crashes out
- Stock markets diverge before Fed as China woes weigh
- Shanghai cleans up after strongest storm in decades hits Chinese megacity
- French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attackers goes on trial
- Bombshell as France's Breton slams door on EU commission
- African players in Europe: Wissa 22-second goal in vain
- Storm Boris unleashes central Europe flooding, toll hits 11
- Man City fight to avoid severe sanctions as 'trial of the century' begins
- UK PM Starmer meets Italy's Meloni for illegal immigration talks
- Japan celebrates historic Emmys triumph for 'Shogun'
- Van Dijk urges Liverpool to hit back after 'unacceptable' Forest loss
RIO | 0.99% | 63.175 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.36% | 25.02 | $ | |
BTI | 0.42% | 39.335 | $ | |
RBGPF | 8.3% | 62.16 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.3% | 6.58 | $ | |
NGG | 0.81% | 70.165 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.22% | 25.046 | $ | |
RELX | 0.82% | 48.105 | $ | |
BP | 1.27% | 32.25 | $ | |
VOD | 1.69% | 10.345 | $ | |
SCS | 1.5% | 14 | $ | |
GSK | 1.34% | 43.595 | $ | |
JRI | 0.72% | 13.285 | $ | |
BCC | -0.46% | 135.235 | $ | |
AZN | 0.95% | 79.02 | $ | |
BCE | -0.83% | 34.38 | $ |
In Iraq's summer, residents of Kurdistan's Arbil ache for water
The taps have run dry, and the wells are almost empty. In the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, 80-year-old Babir hasn't bathed in weeks and impatiently waits for trucked-in water deliveries.
"There is nothing worse than not having water," said Babir, who gave only his first name, in his modest house in Arbil's Darto suburb.
As in several other densely populated areas of Arbil and its suburbs, Babir and his neighbours rely on groundwater as their primary water source.
But for years, they have dreaded summer, when relentless drought, a lack of wells and power outages that bring pumps to a halt leave them cut off the supply of water.
For everything from bathing to watering plants, cooking and washing, they have been forced to depend on trucked-in water.
Usually "we bathe once every fortnight," said Babir, dressed in traditional Kurdish sarwal trousers.
From the roof of his house, he shouted for a water truck as it drove up into the street, then hurried downstairs to request a refill for his home.
This time, the truck belonged to a local aid group. When such assistance is unavailable, the retiree has to pay from his meagre pension or rely on family for water and other essentials.
Over the years, residents of several districts have taken to the streets many times to demand solutions, but Babir said appeals to officials had fallen on deaf ears. He said he was considering moving "to a place with water."
- Dried wells -
Iraq is known in Arabic as the Land of the Two Rivers, referring to the once mighty Tigris and Euphrates. But the rivers' water levels have plummeted and the UN classifies the country as one of the most impacted by some effects of climate change.
Authorities blame the drought as well as dams built upstream in neighbouring Turkey and Iran.
Arbil relies on 1,240 wells dotted across the city alongside the Ifraz water station that draws from the upper Zab River, which has its source in Turkey and joins the Tigris in Iraq.
Its governor, Omed Khoshnaw, told reporters earlier this month that "more than 25 percent of wells have dried up this year," adding that Arbil should rely less on groundwater.
Amid the crisis, the city's local authorities say they have allocated 1.5 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.1 million) to help solve it, including by digging new wells and providing power via generators and the electricity grid.
Local official Nabz Abdul Hamid said that power outages have heavily impacted pumps for wells in residential areas.
"We have now provided an uninterrupted electricity supply to most of the wells," he told AFP, adding that officials were working to fix the broader problem including by improving the Ifraz plant supply.
- 'Radical solutions' -
In the Darto district, one person skillfully manoeuvred the aid truck's hose as a torrent of water gushed into a tank.
A young girl waited to fill plastic bottles while other children joyfully splashed water on their faces, finding relief from the relentless heat.
But when it comes to washing, Surur Mohamad, 49, said that for anything more than basic clothes he goes to a nearby village where they have a steady water supply.
Trucked-in water from aid organisations "is not a solution," he said, adding that overcrowding has put further pressure on the water system while poor pipe infrastructure has exacerbated the problem.
"The government must find radical solutions as relying solely on wells" is no longer viable, especially considering the drought, he said.
His neighbour, Mahya Najm, said the lack of water had stopped her children and young families from visiting her.
"We cannot wash, cook or even receive guests," she said.
"We are in dire need of water. This is not a life," she added.
O.Lorenz--BTB