Historic Marshlands Receive Restoration

Marsh Arabs
Originally uploaded by Sydney Weasel.

By Army Staff Sgt. James Sherrill, 124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BASRA, Iraq — The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources inherited what it calls one of the world's greatest environmental catastrophes from the former regime - the parched Mesopotamian marshes in southern Iraq.

Marsh Arabs have been living among the southern wetlands for thousands of years, making their homes from abundant reeds and mud. They sell the reeds, catch fish from long wooden boats and herd water-buffalo to sustain themselves.

Fed by the Tigres and Euphrates rivers, the giant wetlands once stretched for more than 6,200 square-miles.

When Saddam Hussein seized power in the early 1970s, he began ordering small sections of the wetland drained to make room for military factories, chemical plants and other industry.{Click on image for details}