Fuente : World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org

Iraqi Marshes Drained By Saddam Nearly Half-Restored

/noticias.info/ Iraq's ancient marshlands that were drained by Saddam Hussein to put down a Shiite uprising are nearly half-restored, giving hope of saving traditional habitats for both people and animals, Agence France Presse reports the United Nations said Wednesday.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) said its satellite images showed that 37 percent of the permanent wetlands was now restored, with the figure nearing 50 percent in the spring before water evaporated with the summer heat. Ali Khaiun, a member of the Iraqi parliament, said that while the program was laudable, Marsh Arabs still needed improvements in infrastructure such as roads, electricity and drinking water. Saddam's draining of the wetlands forced the bulk of the Marsh inhabitants to give up their traditional farming and fishing and to head to cities to work as laborers.

Reuters explains that Hussein began moving against the Marsh Arabs in the early 1990s, accusing them of supporting a Shi'ite Muslim uprising after the first Gulf War and harboring criminals. A combination of dams and canals blocked water from the marshes, turning what was once a pristine, wetland ecosystem into semi-desert and forcing all but 40,000 of the area's 450,000 inhabitants to flee. But after the March 2003 war to topple Saddam, residents began returning and breaking the barriers, letting water again flow freely in a region where people had lived on small islands and moved on small wooden boats for thousands of years.

The Associated Press adds that last year, the United Nations announced an $11 million project funded by Japan to help restore the marshes and provide clean drinking water and sanitation for 100,000 people living there. The program is providing settlements with water treatment systems and restoring reed beds that act as natural water filters. It is also training 250 Iraqis in wetland management and restoration. Still, re-flooding the marshes requires a delicate balance of salt and plant life. The UNEP warns that more detailed field analysis of soil and water quality is need to gauge the exact state of rehabilitation. "While the re-flooding of bodes well for the Iraqi marshes, their recovery will take many years," Klaus Toepfer, UNEP Executive Director, said. "We must continue to monitor the situation carefully and make the necessary long-term investment in marshlands management."

The online edition of BBC News further adds that UNEP is looking at installing a desalination plant to produce drinkable water. A full assessment of the local need has yet to be completed; and the UN acknowledges that it will take many years before the area is fully restored to its original condition - if, indeed, that is possible, with dams in Turkey, Syria and Iran reducing the amount of water which flows down the Tigris and Euphrates.

In other developments in Iraq, The New York Times reports that some secular Iraqi leaders complained Tuesday that the country's nearly finished constitution lays the groundwork for the possible domination of the country by Shiite Islamic clerics, and that it contains specific provisions that could sharply curtail the rights of women. The draft constitution, these secular Iraqis say, clears the way for religious authorities to adjudicate personal disputes like divorce and inheritance matters by allowing the establishment of religious courts, raising fears that a popularly elected Islamist-minded government could enact legislation and appoint judges who could turn the country into a theocracy. The courts would rely on Shariah, which under most interpretations grants women substantially fewer rights than men. notas_de_prensa_archivo