DARBANDIKHAN, (Iraq): Iraqi officials warned Tuesday of a drastic drop in the flow of water in a river from Iran due to low rainfall and dam-building in the neighbouring Islamic republic. The Sirwan river begins in Iran, flowing to Darbandikhan Dam in northeastern Iraq before going through the rural province of Diyala and joining the Tigris.

"There has been an unprecedented decline," said Rahman Khani, the dam's director. "The water level has fallen by 7.5 metres in one year."

The drop was attributed to low precipitation and "the building of more dams in Iran which retain water", he told AFP. Khani said the dam had this year received 900 million cubic metres of water - a fraction of the annual average of 4.7 billion cubic metres.

The decline had led to a 30 percent fall in electricity production from the dam, he added, warning against the impact on agriculture in Diyala province. Iraq - which relies on Iran for much of its electricity - has suffered extreme water shortages in many areas in recent years.

This is owing in large part to upstream dam-building in Iran and Turkey, but also to factors relating to climate change and droughts, which have affected the wider region. The situation has prompted Iraq's Water Resources Minister Mahdi al-Hamdani to call on his government to file a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. A foreign ministry spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.