Farmer Qassim Sabaan Ali shows dead figs in the area of Siba in Basra, Iraq . The country, known as The Land Between The Two Rivers, is struggling with the scarcity of water due to dams in Turkey and Iran. Nabil Al Jurani / AP
Farmer Qassim Sabaan Ali shows dead figs in the area of Siba in Basra, Iraq . The country, known as The Land Between The Two Rivers, is struggling with the scarcity of water due to dams in Turkey and Show more

Reverse flow in Kuwait's water relationship with Iraq



At the turn of the last century, merchants in the nascent port city of Kuwait began retrofitting their dhows to carry cargo far more precious than the pearls they took to the east or the spices they brought back: water.

The city’s population was booming - not because of the discovery of oil, which would come decades later, but because of the trade that had brought both wealth and a wave of new immigrants.

With the boom came an increased demand for water that could no longer be met by Kuwait’s underground aquifers, leading to the start of water shipments from Iraq’s Basra region to the north.

The dhows would typically set sail after the heat of mid-day and arrive in Basra by nightfall. Filling their holds with the semi-sweet water of the Shat Al Arab river would take about two hours, and the boats would return home in time for sunrise in Kuwait, where the water distributors would deliver it to households.

Today, the roles have been reversed. Kuwait, which now gets most of its water from desalination plants, recently sent tankers loaded with fresh water Basra in an attempt to abate public anger over water scarcity there.

For more than a month, demonstrators have taken to the streets of Iraq’s southern cities to demand water supply and other basic services. At least 14 people have been killed and hundreds wounded.

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed, told Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi during a phone call in July that “the stability of Baghdad is among Kuwait’s chief concerns”.

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Iraq says Saudi to sell power at a fraction of Iran's price

Iraqi farmers fight to save cattle as drought tightens its grip

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Baghdad has yet to resume payment of the $4.6 billion still owed to Kuwait as reparations for the damage to its oil production caused by the Iraqi invasion in 1990. But Iraq’s water woes, along with a power supply crisis, has prompted Kuwait, along with Saudi Arabia, to step in to ensure stability in the regional heavyweight.

During the protests in Basra a photo was circulated on social media purporting to show militants attacking oil facilities in northern Kuwait. The Kuwaiti interior ministry dismissed the claims, but it still conjured up memories of Iraq’s invasion.

Although the protests have not affected Kuwait so far, concerns remain as Iraqi families are forced to purchases water at the rate of $13 (Dh48) a tonne – a cost many in the southern provinces, which have some of the highest rates of unemployment, cannot afford.

“It’s a shame that I am demanding water in 2018. Water I ask for ... nowadays people travel by plane! Alas humanity! I have oil that feeds the entire world,” one man told a local television channel.

Iraq exported 3.543 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude from its southern ports in July, according to the oil ministry, generating revenue of about $7.6 billion based on an average sale price of $69.163 per barrel.

Yet the south of Iraq suffers from high unemployment, patchy electricity and brackish water – all of which is compounded by viciously hot summers.

Rainfall this year has been scarce and the rivers of Iraq, including the Tigris and the Euphrates, are drying up and water reservoirs are only 10 per cent full. In 2003 the High Level Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction had already identified drought as one of the most serious crises facing the country.

In June, the government suspended farming of rice, corn and other cereals that require major irrigation. The drought has halved the area under cultivation in Iraq this summer compared to last year, according to Deputy Agriculture Minister Mahdi Al Qaisi.

“Iraq’s water crisis has been brewing for some time, but it’s really coming to a head now because of an unfortunate combination of factors” said Peter Schwartzstein, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Centre for Climate and Security.

“Turkey and Iran are holding back more water than ever, with both countries seemingly taking advantage of Iraq’s instability over the past year,” said Mr Schwartzstein. “As the downstream state, there’s little Iraq can do about this.”

On the outskirts of Basra city, where agriculture was once the main source of income, water shortages have forced farmers to abandon their crops and search for jobs in the city.

“Agriculture has been in a state of slow collapse in southern Iraq for years and while there are many reasons, water is perhaps chief among them,” said Mr Schwartzstein.

“Many farmers have ditched their fields and moved to the slum outskirts of Basra, Baghdad and other cities, as their yields have shrunk. With overly salty water, they simply can’t get a return on their investment.”

Local authorities estimate that some 30 per cent of cattle across the south have been lost during the drought, either dying from thirst or sold off for slaughter. That is a major blow for the estimated 475,000 families in the region who make their living from livestock.

Iraq is expected to begin talks with Saudi Arabia soon to discuss a long-term fix to the shortage of the country’s basic needs.

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

The winners

Fiction

  • ‘Amreekiya’  by Lena Mahmoud
  •  ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid

The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award

  • ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi;  translated by Ramon J Stern
  • ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres

The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award

  • ‘Footnotes in the Order  of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah

Children/Young Adult

  •  ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb 
THE SPECS

Engine: 3.6-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 285bhp

Torque: 353Nm

Price: TBA

On sale: Q2, 2020

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Scotland v Ireland:

Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell

Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn

Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)

Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy

Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour

Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)

%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor