The session has just started. We'd like to welcome our guests, Dr. Azzam Alwash, Director of the Eden Again Project, and Mr. Hassan Partow, senior environment expert with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
Both guests have played major roles in addressing the environmental disaster facing the Iraqi marshlands and both are currently involved in the restoration of the marshlands.
You are welcome to submit your questions to our guests, and after the session you will find the whole dialogue in our 'Recent Sessions' list.
Your host for today,
IOL Health & Science Editor
Name
Jerome
- France
Profession
Question
Dr. Alwash,
Could you give us a brief description of what the Iraqi marshlands were like during your youth? What kind of life did the people live in the marshlands back then? How did they make a living? What kinds of plants and animals were there? Where did the people live? In boats? In huts? Are the people of the marshlands roamers or do they have stable homes to live in?
Answer
Reply from Dr. Azzam Alwash:
If you can imagine in your minds eye, a vast expanse of water with reed forests bisected by pathways that are used by small wooden boats that are pushed by poles. Water is all around you and birds in the sky. Clear water below you, with fish everywhere.
While traversing the marshes, you are very hot as there is no breeze (the reeds block the breeze) then every now and then you get into a wide open lake and the wind touches your skin and you are cooled down. You could drink right out of the lake, and I frequently did (though now I know better!)
The people fished (everywhere) and hunted birds.
They lived on islands made out of reeds and mud. Their houses were made out of reeds. You can see all these kinds of pictures on our web site: www.edenagain.org
Some people lived in the middle of the marshes on these islands, and some lived on the shores in scattered communities.
They ate what they fished and bartered the mats they weaved out of the dried reeds for extra food stuffs like rice, sugar and tea.
The life style was primitive, to say the least, but they lived in harmony with their environment.
Name
Carola
- Finland
Profession
Question
Hello and thank you for this opportunity.
What is the general water situation in Iraq as a whole, first before the war and now after? What are the situations of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and how they relate to Turkey and Syria, any conflicts there? And what is the general water situation inside the towns and villages of Iraq? How many Iraqis get clean, potable water, and how much of it do they get?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Difficult question to answer. I was in the US before the war as I was in exile and I could not come to Iraq (I would be arrested, tortured, etc.) So I can not answer your first question as an eyewitness. Only those who actually lived in Iraq under Saddam can tell you the horrors of living in a police state.
As far as the conditions since the war, well the security situation is teneous and very difficult. As you can see in the news, there is fighting in the streets to control the militias. That is a poltiical struggle more than anything else.
As for the marshes, they were completely dried, beginning in 1991. Only 7 percent was left, on the border between Iraq and Iraq. I visited the marshes for the first time in 25 years in June 2003 and I was devestated. My childhood memories only made me sadder to see the waste land that remained where Eden once was.....
Following the liberation of Iraq, people started breaking dams and levies and allowed water back into some portions of the marshes and by now up to 40 % (according to hassan only 30%) of the marshes have become inundated under water. Some areas are recovering very well, others not so well (for a variety of reasons which we are investigating).
The major challenge ahead of us is to make sure that there is enough water to keep the marshes in a sustainable recovery state. As you correctly point out, there is less water now in Iraq than there was in the past due to major dam building in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Not only is our challange to make sure there is enough water, but also to make sure that the flooding that used to occur between February and April, re-occurs. You see, the marshes evolved around the periodic flooding which brought sweet water, laden with silt and clay that is the source of nutrients and refreshing the life cycle. The sweet water pushed the brackish water that accumulated in the summer (evaporation is up to 2 meters per year!).
With the dams built, it will be difficult to replicate the flooding. We will have to manage the water resources of the entire basin in such a way as to channel water to the marshes during Feb through May to start the fish spawning cycle, the shrimp migration and the bird migration. Nature took 10 thousand years to perfect the biodiversity of the marhses, Saddam took only 7 years to destroy what God's nature spent eons bringing to perfection.
It is truly a tragedy of major proportions, but God's nature is resilient as shown by the fast recover of the marshes. In one year, fish started coming back, birds are begining ot migrate, and the reeds - well I am glad to report they are over three meter high....
There are challanges to be sure, but God willing, we will bring the marshes back from death, as we rebuild the entire country.
The return of the marshes is a symbol of the rebuilding of Iraq. it is going ot take time, but it will happen (with God's help).
WIth regards to potable water, the situation is very bad in all the south of Iraq. Up to 80 % of the water cleared for human use, ends up getting lost int eh distribution networks which are corroded and have not been maintained in the last 35 years of conflict that Iraq has gone through.
There is a dire need to provide sweet, clean water. Due to teh building of the dams upstream, and the premitive irrigation tehnology, the water in the south is very brackish (up tp 5000 ppm of dissolved salts are recorded in the summer). WHile the reeds and wild life can withstand this high salinity, it is not good for humans (not to say anything about filtering and chlorinization of the water).
I understand that the US, Italy, UNEP and others are about to start a program to provide deslaination plants to rural communities that are powered on wind and solar energy. For large towns, there is a program that will end up spending 3.5 billion dollars to improve the distribution network in the south. It will take time, but it is on the mend.
Name
Ali
- Iraq
Profession
Question
Assalamu alaikum.
I do not understand whats so important about the marshlands. Why keep them? Wouldn't it be better to use that land for something else?
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow replies:
The marshlands of Mesopotamia are important for several reasons. From a historical and cultural perspective they are the locale where the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian civilisations developed. This is where the Sumerian myth of creation was played out and Biblically it is also considered to be the site of the Garden of Eden. I am not sure if it is the case in Islam.
For these reasons, the marshlands are of great symbolical value as an inspiration to major world civilisations. Although the wetlands are remote and inaccessible, they were the homeland of an estimated 250,000 - 500,000 Marsh Arabs or Madan, considered by many anthropologists to be the living link between ancient Mesoptamia and modern Iraq. This is a unique culture and human community and it would be a tragedy to see die.
Economically, the marshes were also very important. They were a major engine of agriculutral production for southern Iraq, particularly rice. It is also estimated that 60% of Iraq's freshwater fish catch, a key source of portein, came from the marshes. The reeds were also used for the construction of the mudhif guest-houses, mat weaving and paper production.
Environmetally, the marshes were also very important as they were largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East and Western Eurasia. Juxtaposed in an arid environment, the value of such a freshwater ecosystem is magnified several fold. The Middle East needs to protect the icons of its natural heritage, not only the cultural monuments such as the pyramids and Palmyra. The jewel in the marshland crown were the millions of migratory birds which came from eastern Siberia and continued on to Africa via the Nile flyway. The environmental services provided by wetlands are also now widely recognised, particularly their role in filtering sediments and biodegrading nutrients, which has important implications on sea water quality of the northern Persian Gulf, and downstream countries such as Kuwait have been effected as a result.
I believe that Islam teaches that humans have taken earth as a trust from God, and they need to hand it down to future generations in the same state they received it, and hopefully better.
Name
Ajit
- India
Profession
Question
Why were so many dams built on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Turkey claims that they need the water to irrigate lands in the middle Anatolia plains to help what they call "mountain Turks" (i.e. Kurds in Turkey). However, the real reason is that they want to start selling water as they have no oil. As seen recently, Turkey reached an agreement with Israel whereby Israel buys water from Turkey shipped in "specially designed containers" that are barged from Turkey to Isreal.
The international law is with Iraq as we have 7000 years worth of records indicating that we were the first developers of the water resources of the Tigris and Euphrates.
However, as we all know, possession is nine tenths of the law. If Iraq takes that tack that international law must prevail, we will have another long term conflict brewing in the middle east. We need to start thinking outside the box on how to resolve this issue not only for the benfit of the marshes but also, as we all know, fresh water supply is not enough to supply the growing population in the world, and especially in the Middle East.
What I am suggesting to Iraqi officials is that they should start buying electricity from Turkey. This will give Turkey some hard currency and Iraq will get electricity cheap and water as a by produce as Turkey would have to release water to generate electricity.
Meanwhile, Iraq would not be "selling" its international right to the water, rather we are purchasing electricity.
This is the kind of thinking that will resolve the problem by creating a win-win soultion without giving up any inherent right....
Name
Cindy
- United States
Profession
Question
I would like to thank Islamonline for this opportunity to speak with two very distinguished guests.
My question is: why did it take so long for reports to come out of Iraq on the situation in the marshlands?
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow replies:
Following the 1991 conflict, Iraq was in the throws of politicial turmoil particularly in the south and was inaccessible to international observers. The marshland region is in itself a vast region, twice the size of Lebanon, and it is difficult to navigate across such an environment. So the main way to monitor the changes was using images taken by satellite, and to study changes in such a remote way and without field access, means that it is often too late. There were, however, several studies which were prepared by various organisations and scientists but unfortunately the results and the bleak outlook was not placed in the public eye. However, I do believe that we could have raised the alarm much earlier but this is a political decision, and to an important extent the onus is on the countries of the region to bring such problems and threats to the forefront. We need to learn from this tragedy and not be afraid to speak out when the destruction is actually happening, to avoid similar disasters.
Name
Umaymah
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Will it be possibl to restoar the marshlands of iraq? How r u going to do that? Why is it important to restore it?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Dear Umaymah,
If there is a will, there is a way. By our estimate, Iraq can get back up to 40 percent of the marshes with the existing water resources. That is our first (or let's say, short term) goal. Recover as much of the marshes, as quickly as possible, using the existing water resources of Iraq.
The second goal (mid-term) is to widen the area recovered through achieving efficiencies in irrigation upstream.
You see, the Iraqi farmer is still using Sumerian technology (similar to the Egyptian farmer). That was not a problem when there was abundance of water and flooding, but now, with the building of dams upstream, Iraq has become a water poor country, but our culture and agricultural pracitices have not caught up with that fact. In essence, Iraq needs to modernize its irrigation technology (spray and drip) not only to save water, but also to reduce the salinization problem which has started to affect aridable lands throughout Iraq. Again, this is a new problem that was not in existence before, as the periodic floods "washed" the land. Now that there is no "natural washing", slats are accumulating in the farms and we need to spend a lot of money to reclaim these lands. If we go to spray irrigation, we will save the water, and reduce the money needed to reclaim lands.
The long term solution is to reach an agreement with Turkey and Syria on the equitable sharing of the water resources of the basin.
Name
Lyla
-
Profession
Question
Salam Alykum,
What are the prevailing water-borne diseases affecting the Marsh Arabs? Are there measures being taken to overcome the spreading of these diseases?
Thankyou.
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow replies:
Water-borne diseases are a major problem affecting the health of the Marsh Arabs. Immediately after the war, a survey was conducted by AMAR ICF , a charitable institution which has been providing humanitarian relief to the Marsh Arabs for the past years. The survey showed that they suffered from 100% diarrhea. Cholera and bilharzia are also prevalent in the area.
The main problem stems from the lack of and poor state of waste treatment facilities in Iraq. As an example, the two main treatment stations in Baghdad are still not operational and it is estimated that they release 500,000 cubic meters per day of untreated sewage in the Tigris. So if one would map the distribution of waterborne diseases, it dramatically increases as one goes down South, and particularly in the marshes as they are furthest downstream.
In addition, sanitation services in the marshlands is virtually non-existent and thus they need to truck the water from towns such as Nasiryah and Shatra.
With assistance from Japan, UNEP has launched a project to improve water quality in the marshes by promoting pilot technologies such as constructed wetland and phytotechnologies to improve sanitation services to the local population, which are at the same time environmentally friendly.
Name
S.K
-
Profession
Question
Hi, I just have a couple of questions. Thousands of Marsh Arabs have been displaced from their homes,where are they now? What is being done to bring them back to their homes?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
There were 140,000 refugees in Iran, and they are all back, however, due to the lack of "restored" wetlands. They are now living in city slums creating a huge problem for the cities of Basra, Ammarah and Baghdad. They are essentially living as squatters in former army barracks and government buildings, etc.
Furthermore, there were many internally displaced Marsh Arabs living in the north. They did not move to the north willingly, but it was part of the campaign of the former Baath regime to "arabize" the north which, as you may (or may not) know, there was a campaign (Called Anfal One and Anfal Two) to "cleanse" the north of Kurds.
The Marsh Arabs were forced to move into the villages and homes emptied of their former Kurdish inhabitants.
Now that the Kurds are coming back to reclaim their lands, these people are being forced to relocate again.
Some good news: 45,000 marsh refugees came back to the marshes in areas that have been reflooded. The majority of them in Nasrria area (the head waters of the Hammar Marsh).
Name
Michael
- Germany
Profession
Question
Hello,
I'm interested in hearing from the both of you, if possible, a bit about the background of the problem in the marshlands from a historical point of view. What exactly happened in the marshlands to make them start to disappear? What were the political dimensions involved? What did Saddam have to gain by draining them?
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow replies:
In my understanding, there are two main reasons, one we could classify as profound and long-term. In the 1950s and 1960s, countries of the region, beginning with Iraq, entered the age of large dam construction. By reducing the water flow to the marshlands and supressing the floodpeak, which is the key driver in marshland ecosystem dynamics, the marshlands were set on a course of decline. It is now estimated that the storage capacity of all the dams on the Euphrates exceeds by five times the river's discharge. Many dams have also been built on the Tigris, and more are planned such as the Bekhme dam in Iraq and the Ilisu dam in Turkey. They haven't been built yet, so there is still hope that the impacts of dam construction will be taken into account. What is needed is a paradigm shift in water management planning, where the needs of the environment and downstream ecosystems are taken into account, and water is allocated to ensure that these systems remain viable and functional.
The immediate cause, however, for the destruction of the marshes was the construction of massive drainage works which siphoned and re-directed the water flowing into the marshes away from the marshes and discharged it into the Persian Gulf. Some of these works were truly colossal, such as the 2 kilometre wide and 50 kilometre long, Glory River bisecting the Central or Al-Qurnah marshes, between Tigris and Euphrates.
Although the marshlands are not a static system and have been changing over millenia, what is truly phenomenal is the speed of change. The dessication of a wetland system that existed for thousands of years in 6 years.
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Dear Michael,
The draining of the marshes was a political decision of the former regime to deprive the resistance from a place where they can easily hide, and live and hit the army whenever they want.
The marshes acted as our "Shearwood Forest" where the sherif could not control our "Robin Hoods". In the history of the marshes, the epic of Gilgamish replays the story of a vanquished king who took refuge in the marshes and his enemies spent months trying to find him and the remnants of his army but could not.
The marshes have forever presented a problem to the central government as to how to control the Marsh Arabs.
Following the crushing of the Intifada of the people of Iraq in 1991 (after the Gulf War), the remnants of the rebels went into the marshes to hide. Saddam's government had a plan ready on how to "dry the marshes". They excavated 6 major canals to intercept and divert the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris. The marshes became dry as a result and for two years the reeds were burnt to flush the people out.
By the way, the government of Iraq claimed that the reason to dry the marshes was to reclaim the land for agricultural purposes, as if Iraq is devoid of aridable land. Further, any soils scientist will tell you that the low lands of the marshes are not suitable for long term agriculture.
Name
Jummana
-
Profession
Question
I would like to express my happiness at having two experts in the live dialogue.
My questions are concerning the Marsh Arabs.
Is there a connection between the 'Eden Again Project' and the AMAR (Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees) Foundation?
Are the Marsh Arabs' humanitarian needs being met and how do they live without resources?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash (Eden Again Project) replies:
Eden Again is a purely scientific project working on the mechanics (nuts and bolts) of what it takes to restore the marshes and create a biodiverse marsh area. We have invited AMAR appeal to attend all our international gatherings and they have accompanied us in some of our missions in the marshes. AMAR specializes in working at providing humanitarian aid to the marsh refugees and they have done a good job and they continue to do their work.
As for meeting the needs of the Marsh Arabs, I am sad to report that the vast majority of the returning refugees are living in miserable conditions that are difficult to describe. Child mortality is one of the highest (third highest in the world at close to 120 deaths per 1000 children). They lack the most basic of services (such as potable water and sanitation) not to mention the needs of education and health care.
The efforts of all NGOs (including AMAR) are not enough to meet the needs of these people.
While I can start an arm of 'Eden Again' to work on humanitarian needs, I feel that there is enough of a duplication with all the NGOs out there and that donations should go to those NGOs instead of Eden Again. We have been working under the assumption that the best way to meet the humanitarian needs of the Marsh Arabs is to restore their environment so they can at least resume their way of life.
Meanwhile, we are working on a "proof of concept" village called the Green Village where we are going to create an "ideal community" of a collection of islands served by fast access roads, sanitation services, potable water plants, electricity, computers, telephone, all in a way that is compatible with the environment.
We are hoping to learn from our mistakes as we experiment with the building and service of this community and eventually we would like to teach the building methods to the people themselves so they can build their communities anywhere they want.
Our concentration is going to be focused on using native materials for building, with as little technology as possible (save for the solar and wind turbines to generate electricity). These are exciting projects that will keep us all busy for years to come.
Name
Abu Omar
- Jordan
Profession
Question
Assalamu alaikum. I would like to know what the role of the UNEP is in restoreing the marshlands in Iraq is. How will they do this? And what is the role of the Eden again project? r people inside iraq doing the restoration? How cooperative is the current iraqi govt and the occupation forces in the restoration process?
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow (UNEP) replies:
The Ministry of Water Resources has identified the restoration of the marshlands as one of its two top priorties, the other being agreement with neighbouring countries on shared waters.
To this end, the Ministry has set-up the Centre for the Restoration of the Iraq Marshland, know by the acronym of CRIM. As a recently established institution, the CRIM faces many challenges, and the role of the international community including UNEP is to support it both technically and scientifically managing the restoration effort.
There are important complexities here, because other ministries, local government authorities, the Marsh Arabs, NGOs need to actively participate and be consulted in the planning process. I think that securing the buy-in of all the stakeholders and ensuring the development of a coordinated effort is the key challenge.
Despite the difficult security situation which prevents international organisations from working inside Iraq, UNEP intends to provide technical assistance and training to the Ministries of Water Resources and Environment to help them in the restoration effort.
For example, we are planning to set-up a satellite based observation system to monitor the extent and distribution of the reflooding and the associated vegetation response, so that the Iraqi authorities are continually informed about the changes taking place on the ground and could modify and adapt their policies and plans based on this information, which we intend on a near real-time basis through a geo-database web portal.
We are also promoting dialogue between Iraq and its neighbouring countries to reach a common vision and understanding to restore the marshes. In the end however, it is the local communities, who have been breaching the dykes and opening the sluice gates, with the assistance of organsiations such as Eden Again which are active on the ground, who will lead this restoration effort.
Name
Hatem
-
Profession
Question
Salamalaikom,
I want to understand why the increasing saline conditions in the Marshlands is a problem and how can it be solved?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Dear Hatem,
The marshes evolved around the fresh water pulses that came with the floods every year between February through April. This fresh water then replaced the brackish water that was created as a result of evaporation the previous year and the floods coincide with the spring when the cycle of life begins again.
If the salintiy increases (due to lack of pulsing and the associated flushing), the marshes will slowly turn into brackish water marshes that have a different biodiversity equilibrium than the original marshes. Further, some of the species that are dependent on the sweet water (there are remnants in Hwaizeh marsh of the original species) will become extinct.
It would be a sad day when we give up on restoring the "Fresh Water Marshes" and destroy God's gift to our homeland.
Name
Tamer
- Canada
Profession
Question
My question is about dams. If building dams on rivers causes so much problems, why do countries build them?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Engineers have been fond of dams for eternity. Recall Sabaa Dam in Aden!
Mankind evolved based on thinking that man can control nature and we, through engineering, can live where we are not meant to live (witness Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada). As a result of building dams, we started being able to make deserts into fresh gardens and make cheap electricity when we need it.
Further, in the case of Iraq and the San Juaquin Delta in California, flooding caused a lot of economical damage as man began living in the flood plains. So instead of moving out of the flood plain and living on highlands, we began building dams, not fully understanding the impact on the ecological systems peculiar to every region that took eons to develop and reach equilibrium.
Over the past century, many of the world's natural rivers became harnessed, shutting down the natural cycle of high flow, low flow seasons.
Well, the building of dams began to show its effects not only on the natural environment, but also on aridable lands (witness the decline of rice agriculture in the delta of Vietnam). We have come to understand that floods do have a reason and they are part of the natural system to create a sustainable environment.
In other words, engineers now are beginning to understand the wisdom of God's nature and we have stopped building dams in the western world.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world remains at a low state of economic development and they view dams as necessary to bring the standard of living up for their people (either through reduction of destructive effects of floods, or improving agricultural output for the short term).
Name
Peter
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Hello,
I would like to understand the origin of the reasons for draining the Iraqi marshlands. According to my understanding, it was to solve a problem of chronic salinization in the region. Were there any other reasons? What would have been the alternative solution to the problems the area was facing?
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow replies:
Soil salinization has been the key problem facing irrigated agriculture in Iraq since Sumerian times. In fact, some archaeologists argue that salt was a key cause behind the decline of ancient civilisations.
In the 1950s, Iraq's Development Council with the help of British engineers, drew up a plan to address the salt problem. It proposed the construction of a large drainage canal that would collect the saline drainage water from the irrigated fields from the north of Baghdad to Nassiryah in the south. The objective was to prevent the polluted drainage water from contaminating the main stems of the Tigris and Euphrates river. This was a beneficial if not an essential project, to help keep the soil and waters in a good state. This collector canal was known as the Main Outfall Drain, but in the early 1990s it was renamed the Third and/or Saddam River. The project was altered and expanded by diverting the waters of the Euphrates River itself into the Main Outfall Drain and discharging the flows to the sea. An array of engineering works and drainage canals were also constructed, blocking the rivers from flowing into the marshes and diverting the water into depressions in the desert.
This had nothing to do with the original plans to deal with the soil salinisation, and it is difficult to find a rational justification for constructing such expensive earthworks, which made the Euphrates river run totally dry from Nassiryah to Qurnah.
Name
Tracey
-
Profession
Question
After the desertification of large areas of the marshlands, can the waterway system be restored to what it was at before the construction of the dams on the Tigris and Euphrates?
Also,will there be a modern sewage system in the region in the future?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
Dear Tracey,
Without taking down the dams, it will never be possible to return to the way it was. We are realistic and we know that the dams are here to stay. What we hope for is the ability to "manage" the water flow on a basin-wide basis to "simulate" a natural flood.
How can that happen? Well, what we will do is use modern technology (i.e. computer models) to control the gates, barrages, and hydroelectric dams to "channel" all the fresh water to the marshes in January through May (in other words give the entire year's allocation of the marshes in 4 months). This will result in replicating the "natural flooding cylce" and we will then allow the marshes to "dry" during the rest of the year. This will be our solution to living with dams upstream.
As for the sewage system - well we are experimenting with "constructed wetlands" where we use reed beds to be "bio filters" for the gray water from sewage.
In the green village I talked about previously, we plan to have a septic tank that will separate solids from the gray water, and we will then let the gray water meander through a separate reed bed field. The roots of the reed will then use or rather filter the grey water. The ray of the sun will treat the bacteria with ultra violet radiation and the mixing of fresh air with the water will disolve oxygen that helps make the water approximately 95% cleaner than when it got into the "constructed wetland". This a low technology solution that can serve remote communities, provided they are small enough. Large communities will have to be serviced with regular sewage treatment plants.
Name
Ossama
- Egypt
Profession
Question
I’d like to thank you both for this live dialogue
Would you give us more information about the details and the schedule of the project UNEP put to return the whole ecosystem of the marshes back to life.
Answer
Mr. Hassan Partow replies:
I would like to restate that it is not UNEP that would be leading the restoration process, our role is to support the Iraqi government and the Marsh Arabs by providing them with options and technical assistance. This would include training in wetland managemnt and restoration, remote sensing information, implementation of wastewater and water supply pilot projects, supporting strategic planning and national dialogue within Iraq.
One of the areas we would like to focus on is promoting dialogue between Iraq and neighbouring countries, including Iran and Kuwait, which have been particularly affected by marshland drainage. In this way, we also hope to revitalise Iraq's integration in the regional environmental programs and activities, as it has been isolated for more than a decade.
Turning to timelines, we intend to start the implementation phase in October 2004 in close collaboration with the relevant ministries, and this is scheduled to initially run for a one-year period and is likely to be extended if requested by the Iraqi Government.
Name
Gustavo
- Spain
Profession
Question
How clean, or otherwise, is the water in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers...which would thus lead to a second question about the water in the marshlands, before the re-flooding and after. I understand that Iraqis living there drink directly from this water and use it for every day use. Is it safe?
Answer
Dr. Azzam Alwash replies:
The water of the Tigris and the Euphrates becomes progressively more polluted from north to south. There are no operating sewage treatment plants and the concept of industrial pollution and prevention of discharge into the rivers does not exist.
The marhes, before they were dried, acted as a natural bio filter. During the 80s, as Iraq became more and more industrialized (lots of military plants related to the war with Iran), more and more pollution ended up in the rivers.
If you look at the satellite pictures, you will see a noticable degradation in the extent of natural reed beds and vegetation that covers the then remaining wetlands.
That is just as likely related to increase pollution as it is related to increase in salinity for the water and dams upstream.
With the drying of the marshes, the polluted water caused a lot of problems in the Gulf, since the marshes (the liver of the Tigris and Euphrates, if you will!) were dried.
The water they drink today (all over Iraq, and not just in the marshes) is very poor in quality. The majority of the distribution networks are corroded and there is very little positive pressure inside the pipes (booster pumps lack electricity), resulting in the perculation of groundwater into the pipes...So after spending money on treating the water, it becomes polluted as a reuslt of traversing the water distribution network.
It is a difficult situation, to say the least...
Name
Felicity
-
Profession
Question
Greetings,
It has often appeared as if the draining of the Marshes has become a political football - it's tragedy highlighted whilst that of the average six thousand children a month dying from 'embargo related causes' over nearly thirteen years were largely ignored by the internatiobal community.
The sight of intricate, evocative, traditional Marsh Arab homes,
constructed by road sides by the displaced, on the roads north, would of course, tug at any heart. They were/are their own tragic statement.
However, my question is whether Dr Alwash and his colleagues protested when Turkey reduced the flow of the Tigris by fifty percent during the Gulf war, devastating agriculture in a country now totally self reliant for food? Whether they protested the subsequent reductions in the Tigris flow, the vast Ilisu damns project - and will they equally protest the mooted plans to divert water from the Tigris and Euphrates to supply Israel at the expense of already devastated Iraq?
Answer
Dr. Alwash replies:
Protest I did!!!! But protests without action plans are useless. We need to be practical and deal with reality!!!!
How much good has 50 years of protests brought to the Palestinians? Did it get them a homeland?
We need to be pragmatic and think outside the box. I gave in a previous answer a description of strategies that are needed to deal with the problem. I would like to refer the questioner to my previous answers instead of typing it again.
Further, for the record....
The questioner should be smart enough to figure out that Iraqis died not because of the external sanctions, but rather due to the internal embargo practiced by the former regime on the south of Iraq and the lack of investment in infrastructure as contrasted with his numerous palaces and presidential compounds, built after 1991!!!!!!
Also, please note that Saddam had 18 billion dollars sitting in
French bank accounts not spent on infrastrucutre. Contrast that with the lack of the most basic of services in the south.
When is it that my fellow Muslims are going to wake up and understand that supporting Saddam and his regime is a SIN?
