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Al-Araby
Al-Araby
Iraq’s Lake Hamrin, a once-vast reservoir northeast of Baghdad that is the sole source of water for irrigation across Diyala province, has nearly dried out, a senior official said Friday. Successive years of low rainfall and a sharp reduction in the flow of water down the Sirwan River from neighbouring Iran have reduced much of the lake to a dust bowl, the official told AFP. “There has been a sharp reduction in the water level — reserves currently stand at 130 million cubic metres against two billion cubic metres normally,” said Aoun Dhiab, a senior adviser in the water ministry. Dhiab said a…