Administrative Protection of Water Resources in Iraqi Legislation

Water is intrinsically linked to the existence of life; without it, there would be no life on this earth. Due to its importance, water is subject to legal protection, and safeguarding it is a national duty for everyone. This protection is embodied in the measures provided by administrative bodies for the aquatic environment, whether from pollution damage affecting this environment, illegal exploitation, or excessive use. Therefore, this study will explore the definition of the aquatic environment and examine the laws, legal frameworks, and administrative structures that govern water management and protection. We will also investigate the legal protection of water in the Iraqi Constitution of 2005 and the relevant Iraqi laws and administrative bodies involved in this protection. One of the key findings of this study is that the shortage of water resources in Iraq is due to both natural and other non-natural causes. One of these causes is the lack of construction of large, advanced dams and reservoirs to store water during the rainy and flood seasons and use it during drought periods. To protect and conserve water, we propose that the relevant administrative control bodies establish regulations to rationalize water consumption in all fields to reduce its usage and allocate water quotas for agricultural lands according to a fair methodology prepared by the concerned authorities.