Ethaib S. auteur aut IRD Fahs M. auteur aut IRD Mishbak H. auteur aut IRD Fares M. N. auteur aut IRD Makki J. S. auteur aut IRD Alhello A. auteur aut IRD Abbood H. auteur aut IRD Hassan S. N. A. auteur aut IRD Alrijabo A. A. auteur aut IRD Azaroual M. auteur aut IRD Baalousha H. M. auteur aut IRD Baghdadi N. auteur aut IRD Blanc P. auteur aut IRD Duclos J. auteur aut IRD Drapeau Laurent auteur aut IRD Hariri N. auteur aut IRD Hussein H. auteur aut IRD Hassan W. J. auteur aut IRD Hussien T. E. auteur aut IRD Lehmann F. auteur aut IRD Le Ber F. auteur aut IRD Mizel M. S. auteur aut IRD Mohsin R. auteur aut IRD Nasser A. auteur aut IRD Nasser T. auteur aut IRD Al-Ma'athedi A. F. auteur aut IRD Raeisi A. auteur aut IRD Toussaint R. auteur aut IRD Ngnien A. W. auteur aut IRD Younes A. auteur aut IRD Del Vecchio K. auteur aut IRD Al Bitar A. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Southern Iraq or lower Mesopotamia has a crucial role in Iraq's economy due to its agricultural resources and unique wetland areas. Today southern Iraq, which is historically considered the birthplace of the development of early farming communities and the domestication of plants, is experiencing a drastic water resources crisis which is driven by both natural and human-induced reasons such as climate change, long periodical drought and water resources mismanagement practices. Despite the severity of the crisis, there is a lack of integrated and comprehensive assessments addressing the current state of water resources in southern Iraq. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing an in-depth review of the factors affecting water resources in the region. The current situation of water resources is analyzed using different indicators such as water availability in marshes, salinity variation along Shatt al-Arab river and surface of cultivated areas. This paper reviews previous studies, summarizes the current situation, analyzes the key challenges, and explores a range of potential solutions for further investigation. This study analysis is essential for guiding advanced research efforts that offer deeper insight into the challenges and propose practical solutions. This paper identifies key topics for future research to address the water crisis. specialized water resources lower Mesopotamia water quality water quantity water management and security IRAQ 062 021 13 3 87 [26 p.] 2026 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096894 10.3390/hydrology13030087 [F B010096894] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096894 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2026-05/010096894.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2026-05-20 2026-06-12 fdi:010096894 fre