Drought decimates wildlife in Iraq's southern marshes

Iraq’s needs lay in needing to upgrade its aging water infrastructure and modernize ancient farming practices.

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Iraq ,Baghdad ,Euphrates River ,Al Anbar ,Iran ,Ankara ,Turkey ,Syria ,Karkheh River ,Khuzestan ,Tigris River ,Al Basrah ,Iraqi ,Saddam Hussein ,Hamza Noor ,Salah Farhad ,Ahmed Mutliq ,Hatem Hamid ,Abbas Hashem ,Mustafa Al Kadhimi ,Agriculture Organization ,Iraq Foreign Ministry ,Us Geological ,Iraqi Water Ministry ,Middle East ,Dhi Qar ,Foreign Ministry ,Prime Minister Mustafa ,Abbas Hashem Fixed His Worried Gaze On The Horizon Day Was Almost Gone And Still ,Here Was No Sign Of The Last His Water Buffaloes He Knows That When Animals Dont Come Back From Roaming Marshes This Part Iraq ,Hey Must Be Dead The Dry Earth Is Cracked Beneath His Feet And Thick Layers Of Salt Coat Shriveled Reeds In Chibayish Wetlands Amid This Years Dire Shortages Fresh Water Flows From Tigris River Hashem Already Lost Five Buffaloes Herd 20 Since May ,Eakened With Hunger And Poisoned By The Salty Water Seeping Into Low Lying Marshes Other Buffalo Herders In Area Say Their Animals Have Died Too ,R Produce Milk Thats Unfit To Sell This Place Used Be Full Of Life ,E Said Now It Sa Desert ,A Graveyard The Wetlandsa Lush Remnant Of Cradle Civilization Anda Sharp Contrast To Desert That Prevails Elsewhere In Middle East Were Reborn After 2003 Fall Saddam Hussein ,Hen Dams He Had Built To Drain The Area And Root Out Shiite Rebels Were Dismantled But Today ,Rought That Experts Believe Is Spurred By Climate Change And Invading Salt ,Oupled With Lack Of Political Agreement Between Iraq And Turkey ,Re Endangering The Marshes ,Hich Surround The Tigris And Euphrates Rivers In Southern Iraq This Year ,Cute Water Shortages The Worst In 40 Years ,Ccording To The Food And Agriculture Organization Have Driven Buffalo Herders Deeper Into Poverty Debt ,Orcing Many To Leave Their Homes And Migrate Nearby Cities Look For Work The Rural Communities That Rely On Farming Herding Have Long Been Alienated From Officials In Baghdad ,Erpetually Engaged In Political Crises And When The Government This Year Introduced Harsh Water Rationing Policies ,He People In The Region Only Became More Desperate Oil Rich Iraq Has Not Rebuilt Countrys Antiquated Water Supply And Irrigation Infrastructure Hopes Fora Sharing Agreement For Tigris With Upstream Neighbor Turkey Have Dwindled ,Ampered By Intransigence And Often Conflicting Political Allegiances In Iraq The Marshes ,Here Rearing Of Water Buffaloes Has Been The Way Life For Generations ,He Anger Toward The Government Is Palpable Hamza Noor Founda Patch Wherea Trickle Of Fresh Water Flows 33 Year Old Sets Out Five Timesa Day In His Small Boat Across Marshes ,Illing Up Canisters With Water And Bringing It Back For His Animals Between Noor Two Brothers ,He Family Lost 20 Buffaloes Since May ,E Said But Unlike Other Herders Who Left For The City ,E Is Stayingi Dont Know Any Other Job ,E Said Ahmed Mutliq ,Eels The Same Way 30 Year Old Grew Up In Marshes And Says Hes Seen Dry Periods Years Before But Nothing Compares To This ,E Said He Urged The Authorities To Release More Water From Upstream Reservoirs ,Laming Provinces To The North And Neighboring Countries For Taking Water From Us Provincial Officials ,Isempowered In Iraqs Highly Centralized Government ,Ave No Answers We Feel Embarrassed ,Aid Salah Farhad ,He Head Of Dhi Qar Provinces Agriculture Directorate Farmers Ask Us For More Water ,Nd We Cant Do Anything Iraq Relies On The Tigris Euphrates River Basin For Drinking Water ,Rrigation And Sanitation For Its Entire Population Of 40 Million Competing Claims Over The Basin ,Hich Stretches From Turkey And Cuts Across Syria Iran Before Reaching Iraq ,Ave Complicated Baghdads Ability To Makea Water Plan Ankara And Baghdad Have Not Been Able Agree Ona Fixed Amount Of Flow Rate For The Tigris Turkey Is Bound Bya 1987 Agreement Release 500 Cubic Meters Per Second Toward Syria ,Hich Then Divides The Water With Iraq But Ankara Has Failed To Meet Its Obligation In Recent Years Due Declining Levels ,Nd Rejects Any Future Sharing Agreements That Forces It To Releasea Fixed Number Iraqs Annual Water Plan Prioritizes Setting Aside Enough Drinking For The Nation First ,Hen Supplying The Agriculture Sector And Also Discharging Enough Fresh Water To Marshes Minimize Salinity There This Year ,He Amounts Were Cut By Half The Salinity In Marshes Has Further Spiked With Water Stressed Iran Diverting From Its Karkheh River ,Hich Also Feeds Into Iraqs Marshes Iraq Has Made Even Less Headway On Sharing Water Resources With Iran Turkey ,Here Is Dialogue ,Ut Many Delays ,Aid Hatem Hamid ,Ho Heads The Iraqi Water Ministrys Key Department Responsible For Formulating Plan With Iran ,Here Is Nothing Two Officials At The Legal Department In Iraqs Foreign Ministry ,Hich Deals With Complaints Against Other Countries ,Aid Attempts To Engage With Iran Over Water Sharing Were Halted By Higher Ups ,Ncluding The Office Of Then Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi They Told Us Not To Speak Iran About It ,Aid One Of The Officials Spoke On Condition Anonymity To Discuss Legal Issues Iraqs Needs Are So Dire That Several Western Countries And Organizations Trying Provide Development Assistance For Iraq Upgrade Its Aging Water Infrastructure Modernize Ancient Farming Practices Us Geological Survey Has Trained Iraqi In Reading Satellite Imagery Strengthen Hand Negotiations With Turkey ,Ne Us Diplomat Said ,Lso Speaking Anonymously Because Of The Ongoing Negotiations As Sun Set Over Chibayish ,Ashems Water Buffalo Never Returned The Sixth Animal He Losti Have Nothing Without My Buffaloes ,She Said ,Drought Decimates Wildlife In Iraqs Southern Marshes ,