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Tigris River Crisis: Mandaean Leader Warns of Decline

12/17/2025

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Sheikh Warns Tigris Threat

Sheikh Nidham Kreidi al-Sabahi, a Mandaean leader in southern Iraq, warns the Tigris is vital yet polluted and at risk of drying up.
Recent reports say the river's water levels are dangerously low due to upstream dams and mismanagement.
An Iraq–Turkey agreement aims to address these issues, but critics question its effectiveness and binding nature.
The Tigris's decline threatens Mandaeans, with many leaving Iraq.

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Farmer Faces Drought

The United Nations warns that drought could reduce Iraq's wheat harvests by up to 50%, threatening food security.
Wheat farmer Ma'an al-Fatlawi reports that the Euphrates River is drying up and threatens his crops.
Iraq's water reserves have fallen from 60 billion cubic meters in 2020 to under 4 billion cubic meters.
The government has reduced river irrigation.
About 170,000 people remain displaced.

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Sheikh Warns Tigris Threat

Sheikh Nidham Kreidi al-Sabahi, a Mandaean leader in southern Iraq, warns the Tigris is vital yet polluted and at risk of drying up.
Recent reports say the river's water levels are dangerously low due to upstream dams and mismanagement.
An Iraq–Turkey agreement aims to address these issues, but critics question its effectiveness and binding nature.
The Tigris's decline threatens Mandaeans, with many leaving Iraq.

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