The
Mesopotamian marshlands,
Iraq
’s primary source of freshwater, are disappearing at an alarming rate and are
at risk of complete extinction in a five year period if nothing is to be done to
reverse this phenomenon. The marshlands, also known as the
Fertile Crescent
, believed by some Biblical scholars to be the Biblical location of the Garden
of Eden, are located at the confluence of the
Tigris
and
Euphrates
rivers in the south of Iraq
and extend partially into neighbouring Iran. They form an integral part of the river basin, which is shared by Iraq, Iran,
Turkey and Syria.
The
world’s first civilization, the Sumerians, started in this fertile land and
their descendants, known as the ‘Madan’ still live there. The marshlands,
which are composed of an intricate network of marshes, pools and streams, have
been long valued for their remarkable wetland ecology. They make up the largest
wetland ecosystem in the
Middle East
and are considered to be one of the most outstanding fresh water ecosystems in
the world.
The
marshlands, which originally covered an area of between 15,000 to 20,000 square
kilometers, were reduced to a mere 1,084 square kilometers straddling the Iran-
Iraq border in the years between 1973 and 2000 as shown by satellite-based
assessment studies carried out by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
From the year 2000 to 2002 an additional one third (325 square kilometers) of
the marshlands have dried out from the 10% that remained. According
to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), “unless urgent action is
taken to reverse the trend and re-habilitate the marshlands, the entire wetland
known as the Hawr Al-Hawizeh in
Iraq
and Hawr Al-Azim in
Iran
, are likely to have gone in three to five years.”
“There
is no doubt that the disappearance of the Mesopotamian marshlands represents a
major environmental catastrophe that will be remembered as one of humanity's
worst engineered disasters. It is a devastating account embodying in many
respects the environmental crises of our times,” said Klaus Töpfer,
UNEP’s Executive Director.
The
decline began in the 1950’s with the extensive damming of the
Tigris
and
Euphrates
rivers by both
Syria
and
Turkey
for irrigation purposes. More than 30 dams have been constructed, dividing the
two rivers into several fragments. The combined storage capacity of the dams is
several times greater than the volume of both rivers. This has caused a
significant reduction in the water that reaches the downstream ecosystems and
has brought an end to the floodwaters that supported the marshlands (UNEP).
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The
marshlands were reduced to a salt encrusted, barren desert
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This
was followed by the extensive draining of the marshlands by the Iraqi
government in the early 1990’s after the Gulf War and the building of a system
of canals and dikes in order to divert river waters. The drainage
was an attempt by the government to force the Madan, who played an important
role in the uprising against Saddam Hussein’s regime, out of the marshes.
During that time, the marshlands dried up and were reduced to a salt encrusted,
barren desert. This drainage is blamed for the destruction of most of the
marshlands. The remaining 7% of the marshes are rapidly diminishing due to
upstream water projects such as the construction of new dams, as the huge dam
being built by
Iran
, and the diversion of river waters for irrigation purposes.
Extinction
of a Culture
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Marsh
Arabs
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The
disappearance of the marshes has caused the collapse of a distinct community
of people that used to inhabit the marshlands. These are an indigenous people
known as the ‘Marsh Arabs’ or Madan, the heirs to the 5,000-year-old culture
of the Sumerians and Babylonians who started the first known civilizations in
this area.
It
is estimated by Human Rights Watch that of the original 250,000 Marsh Arabs,
only 40,000 remain and these 40,000 are either internally displaced within
Iraq
or living in refugee camps in
Iran
. The Madan who lived in the marshes until as recently as the 1990’s lived on
water buffalo and fish for food and exported the surplus to other areas in Iraq.
They used boats to move around from place to place and constructed elaborate
arched dwellings deep in the marshes, which sometimes stood as high as 15 feet,
using thick marsh reeds.
An
estimated 40 species of waterfowl such as the Sacred Ibis and the African darter
are at risk of extinction now due to the desiccation of the marshes. The loss of
this rich ecosystem that supported a diverse collection of aquatic vegetation
has also had significant repercussions to global diversity from
Russia
to
Southern Africa
affecting the migration of birds that used this desert oasis as a pit stop.
The
marshes also acted as a natural wastewater treatment system to the
Tigris
and
Euphrates
rivers, filtering them of contaminants and wastes before they spilled into the
Persian Gulf
. Their desiccation has led to sharp declines in coastal fisheries in the
northern
Persian Gulf
that also depended in part on the marshes as a nursery and spawning ground.
It is feared that some species that were unique to the area such as the buni
fish, the smooth-covered otter and the bandicoot rat may have already
disappeared.
What
Should Be Done?
According
to Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the United Nations
Environmental Program, an assessment is needed to address all of the issues that
have a potential impact on the marshes, which include the drainage projects and
the dams built upstream. He believes there is still a last window of opportunity
to reverse the marshland desiccation and to achieve at least partial
restoration.
The
measures that would lead to this reversal would include an emergency release of
water from reservoir dams in
Iran
and
Iraq
to simulate the seasonal flood. However a long-term recovery plan would also be
needed, says Toepfer.
UNEP
calls on
Iraq
and other riparian countries including
Syria
and
Turkey
as well as
Iran
to share the rivers’ waters in a coordinated and equitable manner allowing a
sufficient amount of water to the wetlands, while timing the release of water
from existing dams to mimic the natural flow patterns and revive the marshlands.
However
reviving the wetlands will not be a simple process. In order for the process to
work, the right quantity and quality of water must be used together with
adequate timing. Some of the marsh areas were burned over and are now too
alkaline or acidic to be recovered. Other areas have thick salt crusts some as
thick as two feet, due to the rapid evaporation of brackish groundwater.
Therefore samples will be taken to allow the determination of areas most likely
to recover and also to detect the presence of contaminants including sewage,
industrial and agricultural waste, military debris and other toxins (The
Washington Post).
Eden
Again is the name of a project that aims at restoring the marshes. The project
is being led by an Iraqi exile and his American wife and is backed by the Iraq
Foundation, an exile organization. The project also aims at the rehabilitation
of the Marsh Arab culture. The cost of such a project is not known, however it
is being compared by scientists to that of the restoration of the
Everglades
, which cost billions of dollars.
The
growing threats facing wetlands, being one of the most valuable habitats on
Earth, place personal well-being and political stability at risk. The
degradation of our limited ecosystems must be stopped before the price we will
have to pay becomes too high.
Sources:
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MSNBC,
2003: An
environmentalist’s take on war.
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UNEP,
2003: Garden
of Eden” in Southern Iraq Likely to Disappear Completely in Five Years Unless
Urgent Action Taken.
-
Töpfer,
Klaus. The
Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem.
UNEP.
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UNEP,
2001: Message
from Klaus Töpfer, UNEP's Executive Director, on the Release of the
Mesopotamian Marshlands Report: A Call for Action.
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UNEP
Study Sounds Alarm about the Disappearance of the Mesopotamian Marshlands.
-
Jacobson,
Louis, 2003: Back
to Eden: Restoring the Marshes of Iraq.
The Washington Post Company.
-
McQuaid,
John, 2003:
Iraqi Exile Leading Move to Restore Homeland of Marsh Arabs.
Newhouse News Service.
-
Fritz,
Mark, 2002: Ancient Iraqi swamp culture drained but not dead. Tri-Valley
central.
Aisha El-Awady
is
an IslamOnline.net staff-writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in medicine
from Cairo
University
and is currently working as instructor of Parasitology in the Faculty of
Medicine. She may be contacted at aawady@islam-online.net
