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Why was irrigation necessary for agriculture in southern Mesopotamia?

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Historical map showing ancient Mesopotamia with labeled locations of major archaeological and historical sites. Symbols and color codes indicate sites from the prehistoric era, Sumerian-Akkadian culture, Babylonian and Neo-Babylonian eras, Assyrian civilization, Hurrian era, late Persian, Greek, and Parthian eras, as well as marshland areas. The map covers the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, including present-day Iraq and surrounding areas.
history of Mesopotamia

In southern Mesopotamia, irrigation was essential for agriculture primarily due to the region's harsh climatic conditions. The area experiences very low annual rainfall and high average temperatures, which leave the ground hard, dry, and unsuitable for plant cultivation for at least eight months of the year.1

While the region possesses extremely fertile soil, these environmental constraints made successful farming impossible without artificial intervention. To overcome this, ancient engineers developed a complex network of canals to distribute water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to large stretches of territory.1

Because the river floods were often fierce and unpredictable, this system required a high degree of social organization and engineering skill to manage dikes, embankments, and water distribution. By successfully channeling and impounding water, the inhabitants of southern Mesopotamia were able to transform the arid landscape into a productive "land of plenty" capable of supporting a significant population.231