Video: Young Man Walks Across Iraq’s Tigris: Is the River Approaching an End?

It is no secret that the world is still struggling to tackle the harsh consequences of climate change, and Iraq's already hot and dry weather is no exception.

As Iraq has been struck by a severe dust storm accompanied by higher than average temperatures, a video shared online has raised alarm over the possible risk threatening Baghdad's historic Tigris river. 

Translation: "Where is the water? A young man crosses the Tigris river in Baghdad, pointing at its low water levels."

In the video that went viral, a young man can be seen as he walks and runs across the two banks of Tigris without having to swim through its once deep waters. 

The video has sent shock waves across online platforms as users expressed fears of losing the river to climate change and a season of drought experienced in the country.

Many commentators also questioned the reasons that add to the Tigris calamity, saying that dams built by Turkey are to blame for drying up the river that was once one of the main sources of life in the city.

Translation: "This is how the Tigris river will be in 2023 if the government negligence. Congratulations on this theoretical political system selling Iraq to Iraq, the US, and other neighboring countries." 

Others blamed policies by successive governments saying they paved the way for exploitation by foreign governments, citing Turkey, Iran, and the United States. 

In response to the video, the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources released a statement explaining that low water levels in the Tigris are normal at this time of the year, saying that Iraq's four main dams have sufficient water supplies that have been not been released yet.