DIWANIYAH: Hundreds of Iraqi farmers protested on Saturday against the government's policy of curbing land cultivation to preserve dwindling water supplies.

The protest took place in the Ghammas area in the southern province of Diwaniyah and was attended by farmers from neighboring provinces.

The farmers are facing significant challenges due to year-on-year droughts and declining rainfall, which have severely impacted agriculture in a country still recovering from decades of war and chaos.

Rice and bread are staples in the Iraqi diet, and water scarcity has forced many farmers to abandon their plots.

Authorities have drastically reduced farm activity to ensure sufficient drinking water for Iraq's 46 million people.

Protesters urged the government to allow them to farm their lands and compensate them for their losses.

Mahmoud Saleh, one of the protesters, stated that farmers from four provinces gathered to demand their rights and compensation.

He added that the farmers have been wronged as they are not allowed to cultivate wheat crops next year and have had water supplies cut off.

Mohammed Amoush, who used to cultivate 100 dunum (25 hectares) of farmland, said that his land has become fallow due to the lack of agriculture.

He expressed devastation at the financial losses incurred and the loss of livelihoods.

The historically fertile plains along the once-mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers have seen water levels plummet drastically over the past few decades.

The decline in river flow is attributed not only to drought but also to the operation of upstream dams in neighboring countries.

In recent weeks, the Euphrates has reached its lowest levels in decades, particularly in southern provinces, and artificial lakes' water reserves are at historic lows.

Iraq currently receives less than 35% of its share of river water allocated according to agreements with neighboring countries.

Decades of war have also left the country's water management systems in disrepair.