
Latest News
This page features the latest news and articles on the Tigris-Euphrates basin. For a list of Save the Tigris activities, please click here.

As Its Rivers Shrink, Iraq Thirsts For Regional Cooperation
This article was originally published by Reuters on 8 September 2021. The original can be found here. By Charlotte Bruneau and Ahmed Rasheed HALABJA, Iraq — “Where we are standing right now,…

UNESCO World Heritage Committee Adopts The Decision on the Ahwar of Iraq
On July 23 the 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee unanimously approved a new Decision on the Ahwar of Iraq, the World Heritage property which includes the…

LSE Conflict Research Programme releases report on Basra water crisis
Below is the Executive Summary of Failing Flows: Water Management in Southern Iraq by Azhar al-Rubaie, Michael Mason, and Zainab Mehd published by the London School of Economics’s…

Governments Must Take Their Commitment to the World Heritage More Seriously
Press Release by World Heritage Watch, 16 July 2021 Prior to the 44th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, 16-31 July 2021 As the annual session of…

Law Enforcement in the Iraqi Marshes: How Local Campaigners Are Working to Protect the Marshlands’ Biodiversity
The Central Marshes of Chibayish, located in Dhi Qar Governorate, Southern Iraq, suffer from great neglect at all levels despite being a World Heritage Site. Successive Iraq governments…

Reply From UNESCO World Heritage Center to Save the Tigris on Ashur, the Ahwar and Makhoul Dam
10 June 2021 Ref.: CLT/WHC/ARB/303/21/28 Dear Sir/Madam, I would like to thank you for your letter of 19 May 2021, in which you have shared your concerns about…

In Iraq’s Iconic Marshlands, a Quest for Endangered Otters
This article was originally published by Associated Press on 28 May 2021. The original can be found here. By Samya Kullab CHIBAYISH, Iraq — “Don’t move a muscle.”…

Message from Save the Tigris on World Environment Day
World Environment Day, 5 June, represents a global opportunity to tackle global, transboundary, and local environmental issues. It is an occasion for millions around the world to both…

Iraq Faces Harsh Summer of Water Shortages as Turkey and Iran Continue Dam Projects
This article was originally published by The National on 25 May 2021. The original can be found here. By Sinan Mahmoud and Robert Tollast Millions of Iraqis face an intolerably…

Letter From Save the Tigris to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on Ashur, the Ahwar, and Makhoul Dam: Civil Society Concerns and Requests
The Government of Iraq has reinitiated work to expand Makhoul Dam which threatens the Ashur and Ahwar World Heritage Properties and over one hundred cultural and archaeological sites…

Climate Shifts and Rising Demand Leave Turkey Battling Growing Water Stress
by Jennifer Hattam | @TheTurkishLife | Thomson Reuters Foundation Monday, 10 May 2021 Original article here. Population growth, urbanisation, climate change and – critics say – poor water…

Current Reality of Iranian Water Policies: A Q&A Seminar
On 1 May 2021, Save the Tigris held an online seminar in which members of the People’s Campaign to Save the Kind Zagros of Iran, a long-time supporter…