An American report criticizes the weakness of Iraqi measures in the face of the drought of the marsh

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[size=52]An American report criticizes the weakness of Iraqi measures in the face of the drought of the marshes[/size]

[size=45]Translated by: Hamed Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]An American report spoke about the environmental risks to which the marshes in southern Iraq are exposed, which threatens to dry out, indicating that the climate change factor is not the only cause, but that poor management of this file is also to blame, as the measures taken are always a reaction and response, not measures proactive.[/size]
[size=45]The report, which was published on the American news website (Inxtech), stated that the water bodies of the Iraqi marshes cover an area of ​​approximately 22,000 square kilometers in the south of the country.[/size]
[size=45]The report added, “This ecosystem is fed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from the northeast, which extends to southwestern Iran.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "Iraqi tribes and clans have been living for generations from this unique ecosystem in the Middle East through fishing, buffalo breeding, and the financial resources that come to them."[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that “the people of the marshes build their homes from reeds and move from one place to another using homemade boats.”[/size]
[size=45]He emphasized, “The former regime, in the early 1990s, drained the marshes by changing the course of the two rivers and filling the waterways as a measure to suppress the uprising against the regime at the time.”[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that “the marshes remained dry until 2003, when water returned to them after removing these symptoms under the supervision of specialists.”[/size]
[size=45]Activists from the Environment of Iraq organization said, according to the report, that “the environmental activist Azzam Alloush, who is the head of the Iraq Environment Organization, took with him a group of soldiers, and they reopened the waterway to the marshes.”[/size]
[size=45]The report notes that "the water level in good times used to reach more than two meters in some places of the marshes, but since 2015 the water level in the marshes has decreased to less than 40 centimeters."[/size]
[size=45]And he talked about "a rise in the level at the beginning of March 2023 and with heavy rains, to about 90 centimeters."[/size]
[size=45]And the report added, "Local residents say that the hot summer months will reduce the water level to a much lower level."[/size]
[size=45]And he quotes, according to “the United Nations UNICEF, that the Middle East and North Africa region is the most vulnerable to water scarcity in the world.”[/size]
[size=45]The report stated, "The International Organization for Migration stated that Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country to the effects of climate change in the world, and it may have serious consequences for the country."[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, “The International Labor Organization of the United Nations stated that agriculture represents the third largest source of employment opportunities, and the largest employment sector for the rural population in the country, and this sector is also an important source of formation for the female component of the country’s citizens.”[/size]
[size=45]The report stated, "A study conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council in 2021 showed that one out of every 15 families had to migrate from their areas due to drought." He continued, "Another study by the International Organization for Migration in the same year revealed that the poor water quality caused the displacement of 20,000 people."[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that “50 families left the marshes to other nearby cities,” explaining that “most of the people went to the city of Karbala, northwest of the marshes, which is 4 hours away by car, although other numbers went to other cities as well.”[/size]
[size=45]And he continued, “Many of those who remained in the region live in difficult conditions, with the decreasing numbers of the inhabitants of the marshes.”[/size]
[size=45]And the report added, "A group of protesters, earlier this month, at the Al-Hammar marsh area near Basra, blocked the main road by burning tires, in protest against the deterioration of water quality and its scarcity in their area."[/size]
[size=45]He continued, “Obeid Sadiq, 60, one of the participants in the protest and a resident of the area, said: The water is not clean and there is no potable water. This is the first time that the people have protested despite their suffering from this matter for a year.”[/size]
[size=45]The report notes that "these protests did not inspire the concerned authorities to adopt solutions to address the situation, and experts say that instead, the government always blames climate change as a cause of water scarcity."[/size]
[size=45]Environmental activist Alloush says, "While I am sure that climate change has an impact, I also believe that the factor of climate change has become a simple excuse or justification that it is a state of nature that is beyond human capacity."[/size]
[size=45]Alloush continued, "The main problem is that all government measures are response measures to the problem, not preemptive measures."[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out, "Most experts and environmental activists have spoken that while climate change in the world will have an inevitable impact on Iraq in the future, the government has many opportunities to implement it in order to mitigate the effects of this crisis." Alloush, an environmental activist, went on to say, “All these problems have solutions, and they are relatively easy to implement, but what we lack is the political will to implement these solutions.”[/size]
[size=45]About: (Inxtech) American website[/size]
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