Water shortage fueling displacement of people in northern Iraq, UNESCO study finds

Amman, October 2009

• © UNESCO/Dale Lightfoot
• Zimzimuk Kahrez tunnel

Over 100,000 people in northern Iraq have been forced to evacuate their homes since 2005 because of severe water shortages, a UNESCO study finds. Drought and excessive well pumping have drawn down aquifer levels in the region, causing a dramatic decline of water flow in ancient underground aqueducts, known in Iraq as karez, upon which hundreds of communities depend.

The study is the first to document the effects of the ongoing drought on the karez systems, which thousands of Iraqis have depended upon for their drinking water and farming for centuries.

Designed especially for the arid climate, karez are renowned for their ability to remain productive even during dry spells. However, UNESCO’s study confirms that since the onset of drought four years ago, 70% of the active karez have dried up. The overexploitation of groundwater by modern pumped wells has also been a major factor. By August of this year, only 116 of 683 karez systems in northern Iraq still supplied water to their beneficiaries.

Before the onset of drought, the greatest threats to the karez in Iraq were political turmoil, abandonment and neglect. Today, few people in Iraq know how to maintain or repair them, contributing to their state of disrepair.

The rapid decline of karez is forcing entire communities to abandon their homes in the pursuit of new sources of water. Population declines have averaged almost 70% among the communities adversely affected since 2005, the study confirms. The village of Jafaron, one of the hardest hit in the region, witnessed 44 of its 52 karez dry up in 2008, leaving its only source of food – 113 hectares of irrigated land – barren, and prompting most of its population to emigrate.

An additional 36,000 people are on the brink of abandoning their homes if conditions do not rapidly improve. Beyond the trickle of water that they receive from their karez, these people are relying on water tanks, which must be refilled several times by trucks travelling long distances, or pumped wells, which often need to be dug deeper. For many, neither option is financially viable.

Given the region’s historic reliance on groundwater, UNESCO considers the recent decline of karez and the resulting migration to be an early warning signal for other serious problems concerning the future water supply in the area. Though the survey did not account for the towns and villages that rely on other sources of water such as natural springs or pumped wells, it does raise concern that those communities are also at high risk.

According to the study, swift and urgent action is needed to prevent further population displacement. UNESCO estimates that a single karez has the potential to provide enough household water for nearly 9,000 individuals and irrigate over 200 hectares of farmland. In economic terms, that translates into 300 additional tons of grain per year or up to $160,000 of income generated at current market prices. The study identified 50 communities that will benefit from karez restoration works.


The UNESCO study provides the Government of Iraq its first comprehensive inventory of karez. Before the study was undertaken, very little information on the number, location and condition of karez existed. The study provides new impetus for government action and can be used to raise awareness of the emerging humanitarian crisis linked to water and the important role that karez can play in mitigating its impact. Dr Dale Lightfoot, Head of the Department of Geography at Oklahoma State University (USA) and an internationally recognized expert on karez, conducted the survey on behalf of UNESCO.

UNESCO has been working with the Government of Iraq to rehabilitate karez systems since 2007, and plans to launch the new Karez Initiative for Community Revitalization in 2010, a project that aims to help rural communities rebuild their karez and promote better livelihoods.


Karez Facts and Figures

A kahrez is a man-made underground aqueduct used to provide a reliable supply of water to human settlements or for irrigation. The technology is known to have developed in ancient Persia and then spread to Iraq and other cultures. Oral histories often report local karez to be 100-350 years old.

A Karez has the potential to produce 864,000 L/day, enough drinking water for 8,640 community members and 1,440 households.

At the same time, a karez has the potential to provide sufficient irrigation water to produce 299 tons of grain/yr on 203 hectares of newly irrigate farmland, generating upwards of $162,748 in new agricultural production every year.

In August 2009, UNESCO identified the existence of 683 karez in northern Iraq, including 116 that were still producing water and used for drinking, animals, mosque ablution and/or irrigation.

Most of the karez identified by UNESCO are in Sulaymaniyah Governorate (northern province) (84%). A large number are also found in Erbil governorate (13%), especially on the broad plain around and in Erbil city. Only five karez are located in Dohuk governorate. Some karez are located in the area disputed by the Iraqi Arab and Kurdish communities near Mosul and Kirkuk.

Some 380 karez were active in 2004. Since the onset of drought and the accelerated proliferation of wells from 2005-2009, 70% of the karez that were flowing five years ago have been abandoned.

Population declines have averaged almost 70% among the villages adversely affected since drought and excessive pumping began drying up so many karez.

More than 100,000 people— most of them in the eastern portion of northern Iraq— are estimated to have evacuated their communities as a result of karez loss.

UNESCO has identified at least 50 communities at risk of displacement if the karez on which they depend is allowed to dry.

• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• 13-10-2009

• Photo 2 : © UNESCO/Dale Lightfoot - Kunaflusa Kahrez opening
• Photo 3 : © © UNESCO/Dale Lightfoot - Lightfoot and Khayyat