IslamOnline.net
hosted a live dialogue with Dr. Azzam Alwash, Director of the Eden Again
Project, and Mr. Hassan Partow, a senior environment expert with the United
Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).
UNEP
announced on July 24, 2004 a multi-million dollar project to restore the
environment and provide clean drinking water and sanitation systems for the
Iraqi marshlands and Marsh Arabs, to be funded by the Japanese government.
Other
Non-Governmental Organizations have embarked on a similar mission. The Eden
Again Project, initiated by a group of Iraqi expatriates, is an important
attempt at restoring the Iraqi marshlands known for being the largest waterway
system in the Middle East.
The
Mesopotamian marshlands are not only known for their historical significance and
the origin of the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations, but also as one
of the most crucial ecosystems found in the world. Its special aquatic ecosystem
has supported unique human communities as well as irreplaceable animal and plant
species.
Our
two distinguished guests answered your questions about the situation in the
Iraqi marshlands.
