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23/07/2004
Southern Iraq's marshes to be restored
The UN today has earmarked $11 million for project to help restore the marshlands of southern Iraq – an area devastated by Saddam Hussein's regime when it brutally suppressed a rebellion of Kurdish inhabitants.
The marshes were massively damaged by dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and a vast drainage operation in 1991. In 2001, UNEP released satellite images showing that 90% of these wetlands had been lost. Further studies released in 2003 showed that an additional 3%, or 325 square kilometres, had gone. Experts feared the entire wetlands could disappear entirely by 2008.
The project, funded by the government of Japan, is designed to provide drinking water, sanitation and wetland restoration for the Marsh Arabs.
A recent UN inter-agency survey found that most of the Marsh Arabs are collecting water directly from the marshlands. Many settlements lack basic sanitation with waste water draining into the street or nearest stream. As a result water-borne diseases are commonplace.
With the collapse of the former regime in mid-2003, local residents began opening floodgates and breaching embankments to bring water back into the marshlands. Satellite images indicate that by April this year around a fifth, or 3,000 square kilometres, had been re-flooded. The challenge now is to restore the environment and provide clean water and sanitation services for up to 85,000 people living there.
The UN Environment Programme's Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said: “I am delighted that the Japanese government has stepped in to support a new beginning for the Marshlands and the Marsh Arabs.
The marshlands of Mesopotamia – the land between the continent's two great rivers – constitute the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East and Western Eurasia. The area was the heart of the biblical Babylonian and Sumerian empires and is considered by many to be the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden.
(gmcg)
The marshes were massively damaged by dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and a vast drainage operation in 1991. In 2001, UNEP released satellite images showing that 90% of these wetlands had been lost. Further studies released in 2003 showed that an additional 3%, or 325 square kilometres, had gone. Experts feared the entire wetlands could disappear entirely by 2008.
The project, funded by the government of Japan, is designed to provide drinking water, sanitation and wetland restoration for the Marsh Arabs.
A recent UN inter-agency survey found that most of the Marsh Arabs are collecting water directly from the marshlands. Many settlements lack basic sanitation with waste water draining into the street or nearest stream. As a result water-borne diseases are commonplace.
With the collapse of the former regime in mid-2003, local residents began opening floodgates and breaching embankments to bring water back into the marshlands. Satellite images indicate that by April this year around a fifth, or 3,000 square kilometres, had been re-flooded. The challenge now is to restore the environment and provide clean water and sanitation services for up to 85,000 people living there.
The UN Environment Programme's Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said: “I am delighted that the Japanese government has stepped in to support a new beginning for the Marshlands and the Marsh Arabs.
The marshlands of Mesopotamia – the land between the continent's two great rivers – constitute the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East and Western Eurasia. The area was the heart of the biblical Babylonian and Sumerian empires and is considered by many to be the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden.
(gmcg)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
