Iraq's polluted rivers threaten daily life, pose serious health risks Over the past few months, temperatures in Iraq have reached 50 degrees Celsius and water levels in the country’s rivers are dropping fast. Despite having two big rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, Iraq suffers from desertification and there are concerns about the water disappearing - mainly from Iranian and Turkish dams upstream and the excessive use of water resources, particularly within agriculture. But despite this, Iraq is doing little to protect its rivers. From the north to the south, industrial, chemical, medical and biological waste flows untreated into the water, effectively poisoning it. From Kirkuk to Basra and Baghdad, the water is contaminated. Marie-Charlotte Roupie and Josh Vardey report.