{"id":4676,"date":"2023-03-23T07:24:35","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T07:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jhcolorpowdercoating.com\/?p=4676"},"modified":"2023-03-31T15:49:20","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T15:49:20","slug":"marshland-in-iraq-a-world-heritage-site-dries-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jhcolorpowdercoating.com\/marshland-in-iraq-a-world-heritage-site-dries-up.html","title":{"rendered":"Marshland in iraq: a world heritage site dries up"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Marshland<\/div>\n

When the sun rises, the water buffaloes start to move. Abu Jassim drives more than 50 animals with a wooden stick toward the water because it is cooler there. Abu Jassim, a thin man with a thick black beard, cares that his water buffalo are doing well.<\/p>\n

He lives from cattle breeding, buffalo milk is the only source of income for his family. With his wife Umm Jassim and his children, he lives in the south of Iraq in a huge swamp area, the marshland near Basra.<\/p>\n

But the habitat of humans and animals is threatened, the marshes are losing water. "In November, it was still going where I'm standing right now," Abu Jassim says, pointing to the parched ground. In the past year however it had rained only twice.<\/p>\n

Month after month, the area loses water, he says. He feels above all for his animals. "In a few weeks, the buffaloes will give birth to their young. Then there may be no more water. Yet calves drink even more than the older buffalo."He has little hope, says Abu Jassim.<\/p>\n

Climate change has also put the world at risk from people living in Iraqi marshes.<\/h3>\n

Only a quarter of the fish catch left<\/h2>\n

For thousands of years, people in the Iraqi marshlands have lived in harmony with nature, among the reeds, with hundreds of species of birds and water buffalo. It is also called the Venice of the Middle East. This is where the rivers Euphrates and Tigris meet. Those who don't own buffalo catch fish.<\/p>\n

Azad Abboud, in his mid-50s, used to trade it for other food at the local market. But now his net is often empty, there are few mullets left. "We used to get up to 100 kilograms out of them, but now we can barely manage 25 kilograms, and only with great effort. But where to go? Our life is here. The lives of our ancestors were already here."<\/p>\n

Gloomy forecast<\/h2>\n

A UNESCO world heritage site dries up. Local environmentalists like Raad Habib al-Asadi measure the condition of the soil weekly, monitor water levels. Al-Asadi points to his notebook, saying the numbers are alarming. They are used to high temperatures of around 50 degrees in summer, but there hasn't been such a drought in 40 years, analyzes al-Asadi.<\/p>\n

Its prognosis is grim. He fears that the marshland will soon turn into a desert. "It's because of climate change. Hardly any rain, plus the rising temperatures. The marshland is getting the full brunt of the greenhouse effect."<\/p>\n

Not only the quantity, but also the quality of the water is decreasing. It is dirty. Iraqis across the country dump five million cubic meters of sewage into the tributaries of the Tigris River every day. This causes diseases. In addition, the drought has increased the salt content in the swamps, which in turn harms the buffalo. Desalination plants can not afford people in this poorer region.<\/p>\n

For thousands of years, people in the Iraqi marshlands, where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet, have been living with their water buffalo.<\/p>\n

"Our culture is dying out"<\/h2>\n

More help needed from Baghdad from government, local leaders agree. Every evening, the men of the Beni Assad tribe meet in a mudhif, a traditional communal space built entirely of reeds. Thirty or forty men sit on rugs, play with their prayer chains and discuss the community's difficulties over a cup of Arabic coffee. They are of the Shiite faith, and there are photos of clerics on the wall.<\/p>\n

The elderly reminisce about earlier times. The Sunni ruler Saddam Hussein once had dams built to drain the marshes. In his eyes, the marshland was just a retreat for insurgents. Today, other powers are causing concern.<\/p>\n

"Turkey blocks the flow of water to us and builds the dams," complains Basher al-Batan. His neighbor, Mustafa Saeed, explains: "We, the younger generation, are very worried about the future. If the marshland dries up, our culture dies out too."<\/p>\n

Mudhifs are traditional communal spaces built entirely of reeds.<\/p>\n

Work otherwise only in the oil industry<\/h2>\n

Abu Jassim is also afraid of this, especially of a move. He loves life on the water, sitting on a narrow boat, a cigarette in his hand and smiling. With his eldest son, he has sold buffalo milk on the mainland and provided fodder for the animals. Now they are on their way home. The son would like to continue the tradition of his parents, but carrying fresh water and food every time is tedious, and above all, expensive.<\/p>\n

In the long run, the family can't afford it. "Not only me, everyone will go. Maybe soon you won't find anyone here," Abu Jassim calls to his eldest. Their only chance for a job in the region would then be further downstream: the oil industry. A whole different world for the people from the marshes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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