In arid and semi-arid countries like Iraq, which suffer from water scarcity due to the effects of climate change and decreased surface water flow, groundwater is considered a vital source of irrigation water. This study is concerned with the influence of artificial recharge on the rehabilitation of the unconfined aquifer called Al-Dibdibba, located between the cities of Najaf and Kerbala in central Iraq around 31 degrees 550' N and 32 degrees 450' N and 43 degrees 300' E and 44 degrees 300' E. Due to excessive groundwater pumping rates for irrigation, this aquifer has suffered from groundwater decline and increased salinization during the previous 20 years. By establishing a conceptual model in the groundwater modeling system software (GMS), a numerical model was made to simulate groundwater flow. Artificial recharge using recycled water (tertiary treatment) from Kerbala's primary WWTP was carried out using 25 injection wells. The model was calibrated against historical and observed water level data for periods from 2016 to 2017. Three scenarios to predict how the aquifer would act with artificial recharge of 5%, 8%, and 10% from the total daily outflow of the WWTP in Kerbala (100000 m(3)/day) were studied. The calibration model met the observed values of groundwater levels with R-2 = 0.989 for steady-state simulations and R-2 = 0.987 for transient simulations. In the final analysis of the simulation, the results show that the maximum predicted groundwater level was raised by the injection of treated water through 25 wells by 1.05 m for 5000 m(3)/day, 2 m for 8000 m(3)/day, and 3 m for 10,000 m(3)/day recharge pumping rates. In addition, if water were pumped into the aquifer, it might support the development of agricultural lands covering more than 93 km(2). So, artificial recharge can be considered one of the important solutions to adaptation to the effects of climate change and desertification in Iraq.