A plan to adapt families .. Iraq seeks to stop `migration from the countryside`.

Weather of Arabia - In a move aimed at mitigating the repercussions of the worsening climate change phenomenon in Iraq, the Ministry of Environment launched the "Accommodation of Rural Families" project in the south of the country, to help residents of fragile areas affected by the high frequency of drought, desertification and water scarcity.

Iraq is the fifth country in the world most affected by the repercussions of climate change, according to the United Nations, and its impact is greatest in rural areas that are turning into expelling areas, while the burden increases on cities that are now teeming with slums and suffering deterioration in public services, which, according to experts, disturbs the socio-economic, environmental and security stability of the country. .

A statement by the Ministry of Environment said that the launch of the project "comes with the scarcity of water resulting from climate change," and the Minister of Environment, Nizar Amidi, explained during the inauguration ceremony, "The aim of this project, which is in line with the Iraqi national trends, is to enhance adaptation measures with the negative effects of climate change, especially on societies." Rural areas, which are considered the most vulnerable, and because these effects have a relationship to the social, economic and health reality of these communities.

The minister stressed that "these activities are consistent with Iraq's directions in the Iraqi National Contributions Document for Climate Change, Iraq's commitments in the Paris Climate Agreement, and the achievement of sustainable development goals and the fight against poverty."

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment, Jassem Al-Falahi, revealed the details of the project, in his statements to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), in which he stated:

• The project to adapt rural families in southern Iraq is one of the most important projects established in cooperation between the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources and Agriculture and the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with funding from the Canadian government.
• The project brings together basic and important elements, and its main focus is on increasing the resilience of affected communities in facing climate change, especially rural communities. It includes the governorates of Wasit, Diwaniyah, Babil, Karbala, Najaf, Dhi Qar and Muthanna.
• The project includes several axes, the most important one is focusing on food, water and energy, where for the first time solar energy is used to extract water, with the application of the concept of smart agriculture because the country is facing climate changes, drought and lack of water revenues.
• This project will be the first of other projects that contribute to reducing the serious damages of climate change.
• However, experts and observers point out that it is necessary not to be satisfied with diagnosing the accumulated and concerted environmental crises, and to focus on translating government projects and programs proposed to combat environmental pollution and climate change, in a manner that takes into account the reality on the ground.

Source: Sky News