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1. Wide of dry land with palm trees in the background 2. Pan of dry ground and cracked earth 3. Palm trees 4. Various of dry and dead palm tree 5. Farmer Ashur Mohamed Ahmood walking on parched land 6. Ahmood walking with stick, UPSOUND: (Arabic) Ashur Mohamed Ahmood: "There is no water, there is no water" 7. Low angle shot of Ahmood walking over the cracks of dry land and uprooting weed 8. Various of Ahmood and his wife walking on dry land 9. Ashur picking a piece of dried earth and throwing it back down, UPSOUND: (Arabic) Ashur Mohamed Ahmood: "Look at this land!" 10. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ashur Mohamed Ahmood, Farmer from Lattifiya: "There is no water, our rivers dried. We want Allah and you to help us, we want the government to help us. They say that Turkey closed the water on us, help us so God will help you too." 11. Wide of Ahmood, his wife and children standing on dry land 12. Ahmood's children walking barefoot on dry land 13. Wide of dry artificial tributary 14. Mid of artificial tributary 15. Various of concrete ducts in the artificial tributary 16. Close-up of dried earth 17. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Adeelah Fingdan, Ahmood's wife: "We want Allah and you to find us a solution. We want water, we cannot grow plants because there is no water, for two years there has been no planting." 18. Wide of clay house on the farm 19. Mid of young girl and boy standing in front of clay house 20. Pick truck driving on unpaved roadway in village STORYLINE: Below-average rainfall and insufficient water in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have left Iraq bone dry for a second straight year, wrecking swaths of farm land, threatening drinking water supplies and intensifying fierce sandstorms that have coated the country in brown dust. The drought has dealt a harsh blow to hopes that reductions in sectarian violence over the last year would fuel an economic recovery. Instead, the government's budget suffered a double-hit: Lower than expected oil prices have crimped revenues and the scarcity of water will force Iraq to spend money to import most of the crops, especially wheat and rice, to meet domestic demand. "There is no water, our rivers dried," said Ashur Mohamed Ahmood, slipping the tip of his black cane into deep cracks in his parched field. He cautioned children not to run, fearing their small bare feet would get stuck in the crevices crisscrossing the farm on the outskirts of Baghdad. "Look at this land," he says, uprooting a weed and throwing it back to the ground. Historically, Iraq has been one of the more fertile nations in the region, thanks to the Tigris and Euphrates, which flow southeasterly through the entire nation. But for a second year, cropland in the north and west is parched and farmers in south and central Iraq are suffering from low water flows in both rivers - a phenomenon caused in part by the construction of dams built in neighbouring Turkey and Syria. "They say that Turkey closed the water on us," Ahmood said, reflecting the common belief among Iraqis that their country's neighbours are responsible for their plight. "Help us so God will help you too." As farmers complain of their ruined crops, the drought can be felt across the nation as gritty sandstorms lash Iraqis with increased frequency this summer. Last week's storm left tree leaves and vehicles coated with what looks like tan talcum powder. A decline in acreage where plant roots once knitted the soil has only increased the severity of sandstorms, which are blowing across Iraq with increased frequency - nearly 20 so far this year. Adding to the farmers' difficulties, the dwindling water supplies are suffering from high amounts of salt. where rice is grown. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/33948aaf41c0f50f2ad8e79d06a9505b Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork