Mustafa Ahmed, 13, milks a buffalo in the Al-Mishkhab district on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 24, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage is forcing him to sell their animals one by one - heartbreaking for his son. They recently lost a two-month-old calf. "It hurts that one of them died... I really love them", Ahmed said. "Now we have nine left." Last year they had 20. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mustafa Ahmed, 13, stands with his family's buffalo herd in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage is forcing him to sell their animals one by one - heartbreaking for his son. They recently lost a two-month-old calf. "It hurts that one of them died... I really love them", Ahmed said. "Now we have nine left." Last year they had 20. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mustafa Ahmed, 13, sits atop a buffalo as his father Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, watches, in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 26, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage is forcing him to sell their animals one by one - heartbreaking for his son. They recently lost a two-month-old calf. "It hurts that one of them died... I really love them", Ahmed said. "Now we have nine left." Last year they had 20. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, feeds his herd of buffalo in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 26, 2023. "When the buffalo doesn't eat... it does not produce milk," said Abdul Hussein, adding his income had shrivelled without his main source of earnings, and he struggles to afford the now much more expensive, often imported, fodder. "A few more months and it might all be over,". REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mustafa Ahmed, 13, (L) and his father Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, (R) cross a bridge over the Al-Shallal river in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage is forcing him to sell their animals one by one - heartbreaking for his son. They recently lost a two-month-old calf. "It hurts that one of them died... I really love them", Ahmed said. "Now we have nine left." Last year they had 20. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mustafa Ahmed, 13, and his brother Muqtada Ahmed, 15, watch as their father Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, (L-R) milks a buffalo in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 24, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage is forcing him to sell their animals one by one - heartbreaking for his son. They recently lost a two-month-old calf. "It hurts that one of them died... I really love them", Ahmed said. "Now we have nine left." Last year they had 20. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Buffalo walk across the dried riverbed of the Al-Shallal river in the Al-Mishkhab district on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 26, 2023. The International Organization for Migration (IMO) says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mustafa Ahmed, 13, herds a buffalo in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said he took his sons out of school years ago, to help him with the herd. "I regret this more than anything", he added. Ahmed said he wanted to go back to school after seeing his animals disappear one by one. As he does not know how to read or write, his father fears his future prospects are slim. "The fate of our lifestyle is unknown. We don't know what lies ahead," said Abdul Hussein. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Buffalo herders walk on the dried riverbed of part of the Al-Shallal river in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. The International Organization for Migration (IMO) says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Farmers and buffalo herders, Abdul Zahra Shamran, 60, Mohammed Mahmoud Jabbar, 30, and Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, sit with children, Amir Mohammed Mahmoud, 7, and Ali Mohammed Mahmoud, 10, (L-R) in a courtyard in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf , Iraq, June 26, 2023. The International Organization for Migration (IMO) says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Buffalo drink water from the almost dry Al-Shallal river in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. Nadhir Al-Ansari, professor at Sweden's Lulea University of Technology, said the water quality in Najaf is amongst the poorest in Iraq. Untreated wastewater and chemical fertilizers dumped into the river upstream make the water increasingly unfit for consumption as it flows down south, he said. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mustafa Ahmed, 13, herds buffalo towards a river in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. Ahmed's father, Ahmed Abdul Hussein, said the dire water shortage is forcing him to sell their animals one by one - heartbreaking for his son. They recently lost a two-month-old calf. "It hurts that one of them died... I really love them", Ahmed said. "Now we have nine left." Last year they had 20. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Hassan Ali, 6, Habib Jaber, 6, and Mustafa Ali, 7, (L-R) play with buffalo inside a pen in the village of Umm Khashm, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, July 2, 2023. In Umm Khashm, the number of water buffalo decreased from 15,000 to 9,000 over five years, said the local mayor, Meshtaq Sebar. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Buffalo graze on land in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 26, 2023. Picture taken with a drone. The International Organization for Migration (IMO) says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, and his sons Murtada Abdul Hussein, 5, Muqtada Ahmed, 15 and Mustafa Ahmed, 13, (L-R) pray inside the family home in the Al-Mishkhab district on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 26, 2023. Abdul Hussein said he took his sons out of school years ago, to help him with the herd. "I regret this more than anything", he added. Ahmed said he wanted to go back to school after seeing his animals disappear one by one. As he does not know how to read or write, his father fears his future prospects are slim. "The fate of our lifestyle is unknown. We don't know what lies ahead," said Abdul Hussein. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

The dry riverbed of the Al-Shallal River is seen in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. The International Organization for Migration (IMO) says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Children play with buffalo inside the buffalo pen in the village of Umm Khashm, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, July 2, 2023. In Umm Khashm, the number of water buffalo decreased from 15,000 to 9,000 over five years, said the local mayor, Meshtaq Sebar. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A buffalo lies on the ground due to high temperatures in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 24, 2023. The International Organization for Migration (IMO) says that as of last year, 62,000 people had been displaced across Iraq due to drought. Many moved from the countryside to cities with high unemployment rates and poor services. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Ahmed Abdul Hussein, 35, (L) and his son Mustafa Ahmed, 13, (R) prepare tea next to their herd of buffalo in the Al-Mishkhab district, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, June 23, 2023. "When the buffalo doesn't eat... it does not produce milk," said Abdul Hussein, adding his income had shrivelled without his main source of earnings, and he struggles to afford the now much more expensive, often imported, fodder. "A few more months and it might all be over,". REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani SEARCH "AL-MARJANI WATER BUFFALO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.