Asia Community

The Risk of PFAS in Iraq’s Groundwater Amid Drought: Insights from Asia-Pacific Experiences

Because of the ongoing drought, many people in Iraq have no choice but to consume groundwater without realizing the potential risks of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are a growing global concern due to their persistence in the environment and potential health risks. While many countries are still catching up in addressing PFAS pollution, several Asian countries are taking concrete steps to monitor, regulate, and reduce PFAS in the environment. Asia-Pacific countries are increasingly addressing PFAS ("forever chemicals") through regulations mainly aligned with the Stockholm Convention, which restricts certain PFAS substances such as PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS. Key points include:

1- China, Japan, and South Korea have adopted restrictions on PFAS listed in the Stockholm Convention. China is enhancing broader chemical regulations, including a 2023 List of New Pollutants for Priority Management [1].

2- Japan has been proactive, since 2009, PFOS is regulated as a Class I Specified Chemical Substance, with export restrictions. In 2020, Japan set a drinking water target of 50 ng/L for PFOS and PFOA and banned their manufacture and use [7].

3- Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines have documented widespread PFAS contamination in water, soil, and biota, with ongoing concerns about human and ecosystem health. However, regulatory frameworks remain weak or poorly enforced in many of these countries [5][6].

In Iraq, PFAS pollution is not yet a visible part of water management strategies, and current efforts are limited to occasional workshops for university staff. However, with ongoing drought and increasing reliance on untreated groundwater in urban peripheries, the risk of PFAS contamination in drinking water will only grow. Early action is essential. Drawing from Asia’s experiences, Iraq can consider:
1- Establishing a national PFAS monitoring program, starting with pilot studies in industrial and military areas.
2- Developing laboratory capacity and training for PFAS testing using GC-MS instruments.
3- Including PFAS in national water quality and environmental protection regulations.
4- Collaborating with regional and international partners to develop cost-effective removal and monitoring methods.

Reference

[1] https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-article/new-regulations-targeting-…
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935121004163
[3] https://ipen.org/documents/pfas-pollution-across-middle-east-and-asia
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352801X23000474
[5] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/toxicology/articles/10.3389/ftox.2…
[6] https://ipen.org/news/pfas-situation-reports-twelve-middle-eastern-and-…
[7] https://int.anteagroup.com/news-and-media/blog/pfas-regulation-around-t…
[8] https://www.3eco.com/article/2025-asia-pacific-regulatory-landscape-3e/
[9] https://landandgroundwater.com/global-pfas-regulatory-developments/

📢 Unveiling a new bilingual site www.land-irg.org for the UNCCD Interregional Group Central Asia-Russia on drought, land degradation and desertification. Join us for the online launch on Tuesday 8 July @ 10 am CEST.

📢 Представляем новый двуязычный портал www.land-irg.org Межрегиональной группы «Центральная Азия–Россия» КБО ООН по вопросам засухи, деградации земель и опустынивания. Присоединяйтесь к онлайн-запуску во вторник, 8 июля, в 10:00

Hi everyone, my name is Sara Riade, and I’m currently working as a consultant with the UNCCD in the Global Policy Advocacy and Regional Cooperation (GPARC) Unit. I’ll be helping manage the CLP page and supporting community engagement.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any guidance or support navigating the platform — I’m more than happy to help!
Looking forward to connecting with you all.

Why Groundwater Protection Should Be a National Priority in Drought Strategies

A recent study in Nature Sustainability (2025) on the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna Delta found that unsustainable groundwater-fed irrigation during dry seasons reduces flood risks but increases surface freshwater scarcity and saltwater intrusion in coastal regions.

While heavy groundwater pumping supports dry-season agriculture and leads to higher aquifer recharge during monsoon seasons, this recharge is insufficient to offset depletion, creating a vicious cycle:

🔹 Groundwater depletion ➡️ reduced surface runoff ➡️ less surface water for farming ➡️ increased groundwater dependence.

💧 This means that although groundwater use may temporarily reduce flood risk, it undermines long-term water security and resilience to drought.

Key takeaways for drought management:
✅ Groundwater protection must be a clear priority in national drought strategies, rather than a resource to exhaust during crises.
✅ Integrated management of surface and groundwater resources is essential for resilience.
✅ Farmers need support to improve water-use efficiency and adopt practices that reduce dependency on excessive groundwater pumping.
✅ Expansion of agriculture in coastal deltas must consider sustainable recharge strategies to prevent seawater intrusion and further freshwater scarcity.

🌍 These findings are globally relevant, as human pressures and climate change increasingly threaten freshwater systems in coastal and deltaic regions.

✍️ How can countries balance food security with groundwater conservation in drought management plans? Let’s exchange experiences and lessons to strengthen our collective drought resilience.

📖 The link of study:
👉 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01566-0

#DroughtManagement #Groundwater #NatureSustainability #WaterSecurity #UNCCD #CLP

Hello there, I am Marvin Tejada, an architect, environmental planner and an urbanist, with specialist interest in water urbanism, ecology, sustainability, heritage conservation, environmental planning, and biodiversity. I am a member of International Water Association (IWA), International Water Resource Association (IWRA), Eastern Regional Organization for Planning and Human Settlements (EAROPH), Heritage Conservation Society (HCS), Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) and the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP). Thank you for your warm welcome!

Can AI Really Predict Drought?

Imagine if we could see the drought before it comes and act before it's too late.

That’s what AI promises give a chance to look into the future and protect our farms, rivers, and communities.

But here’s the truth:
AI only learns from what we give it.
If our data is poor, broken, or missing…
The system can’t help us. It won’t see the warning signs.
And that means farmers might suffer. Crops might fail.
And decisions will come too late.

So the real question isn’t just “Can AI predict drought?”
It’s:
Are we giving AI the right tools to learn?

We need to invest in better data, stronger systems, and local knowledge because every piece of information can save lives, protect water, and secure our future.

🤖 AI is not magic.
It’s a tool and we must build it wisely.

Is Drought Forecasting Helpful? Why It Matters for Better Decisions

Our lives depend on the choices we make. These choices shape our future. Now, think bigger—about a country, its economy, and millions of people. Their future depends on good decisions too. This is why drought forecasting is important. If we know early about dry times ahead, we can prepare better. This helps us make smart decisions to save water, protect crops, and keep people safe.

Drought forecasting is not just about guessing if it will rain or not. It uses many tools and methods to give us clear information about the future:
1) Drought indices are numbers that show how dry the land is, like the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and others.
2) Models: Scientists use weather and climate data with computer models to predict drought.

3) Artificial intelligence and machine learning learn from past data to improve drought predictions.
4) Advanced tools platforms like Climate Engine and SEED-FD help monitor droughts and predict sudden dry spells.
5) The hybrid approach that combines different methods, gives better and more reliable forecasts.
These tools help governments and communities prepare for droughts earlier and make better decisions. It means fewer surprises and less damage. In short, drought forecasting helps us manage risks and protect lives. Without it, we make decisions too late. With it, we are ready and strong. The future depends on what we do today. Drought forecasting gives us the information to make good choices.

Hello Everyone, I'm Chinthaka and am a newly joined member. Currently, I am a PhD researcher at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand. I am investigating the soil moisture behavioural patterns (especially soil moisture memory - SMM) for enhancing agricultural drought monitoring in mainland Southeast Asia.

I am glad to join the community and look forward to interesting discussions and exchanging knowledge.

The Silent Link Between Drought and Contaminated Water
How dry spells intensify pollution and overwhelm treatment systems

When we think of drought, we imagine dry land and vanishing streams. But there's a hidden danger we often ignore: water quality. Drought doesn’t just mean less water; it means dirtier, riskier water too.

Why does water quality get worse during drought?

Less water means pollutants like heavy metals, salts, nutrients, and pathogens become more concentrated. Higher temperatures during drought reduce dissolved oxygen, harming aquatic life and making water taste and smell unpleasant. With rivers and lakes flowing more slowly or even stagnating, harmful algal blooms and bacterial growth can flourish. Exposed soils and increased erosion add sediments, making water cloudy and harder to treat [1].
During droughts, wastewater treatment plants face significant challenges that go far beyond water scarcity. Lower inflows reduce the stream’s ability to dilute pollutants. As incoming water becomes more concentrated, levels of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, total suspended solids, and total dissolved solids rise sharply, pushing systems toward their operational limits. Warmer water temperatures intensify bacterial activity, increase biochemical oxygen demand, and disrupt processes like sludge settling and aeration [2]. Structural risks also emerge, as dry, contracting soils can crack pipes and degrade infrastructure. These stressors can cause odor issues, algal blooms in clarifiers, and even visible degradation downstream. In extreme conditions, streams may experience stagnant, low-oxygen water, pathogen buildup, and fish kills [3]. Drought doesn’t just challenge our water quantity; it fundamentally strains the capacity, cost, and compliance of water treatment across entire regions [4].
Why does this matter for water treatment?
Most treatment plants are built for “normal” water quality not the extreme concentrations of pollutants seen during drought. Removing nitrates, sulfates, and heavy metals becomes much harder and more expensive. In rural areas without advanced treatment facilities, poor water quality can directly threaten public health. Drought pushes water treatment systems beyond their design limits, risking system failure and unsafe water for millions.
Therefore, the recommendations for wastewater treatment management during drought are:
1. Implement real-time monitoring systems for key water quality parameters such as nutrient concentrations (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate), total suspended solids, and total dissolved solids to detect changes early.
2. Develop and regularly update a comprehensive drought response plan that outlines operational adjustments, resource allocation, and contingency measures to ensure uninterrupted treatment performance.
3. Adjust treatment processes to handle higher pollutant concentrations by optimizing aeration, sludge management, and chemical dosing to maintain treatment efficiency under stressed conditions.
4. Conduct frequent inspections and maintenance of pipelines and treatment infrastructure to prevent damage caused by soil contraction and corrosion during drought.
5. Ensure staff receive regular training on drought-related operational challenges and promote collaboration with environmental agencies for shared resources and expertise.

Reference
[1] Peña-Guerrero MD, Nauditt A, Muñoz-Robles C, et al. Drought impacts on water quality and potential implications for agricultural production in the Maipo River Basin, Central Chile. Hydrol Sci J [Internet]. 2020;65(6):1005–1021.
[2] Marino A, Bertolotti S, Macrì M, et al. Impact of wastewater treatment and drought in an Alpine region: a multidisciplinary case study. Heliyon [Internet]. 2024;10(15):e35290.
[3] Mosley LM. Drought impacts on the water quality of freshwater systems; review and integration. Earth-Science Rev [Internet]. 2015;140:203–214.
[4] Wright B, Stanford BD, Reinert A, et al. Managing water quality impacts from drought on drinking water supplies. J Water Supply Res Technol [Internet]. 2014;63(3):179–188.