Iraq – Climate-Induced Displacement Southern Iraq (1 – 15 March 2023)

DTM has been tracking climate-induced displacement across the central and southern regions of Iraq since June 2018. Drought, land degradation and increased salinity in important rivers and tributaries continue to place a strain on the agriculture, livestock herding and fishing industries, with many families unable to guarantee sufficient and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. DTM’s tracking of climate-induced displacement aims to provide data on the number and location of vulnerable families forced to displace due to climatic and environmental factors. Data collection for this update took place between 1 and 15 March 2023. Data are collected through IOM’s Rapid Assessment and Response Teams (RARTs), who are deployed across Iraq (21% of enumerators are female). IOM’s RARTs collect data through interviews with key informants utilizing a large, well-established network of over 9,500 key informants that includes community leaders, mukhtars, local authorities and security forces. As of 15 March 2023, 12,212 families (73,272 individuals) remain displaced because of drought conditions across ten governorates. Of these, 4,659 families are displaced within their district of origin (38%). The displaced families are dispersed across 347 locations, with the majority (76%) being urban locations.